The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is asking ships to be extra
vigilant when transiting West Africa as piracy in the region becomes a
growing concern.
IMB’s Live Piracy Map shows
that since the beginning of the year, one vessel, MT Kerala, has been
hijacked and six were boarded in West Africa. There was also one
attempted attack.
The hijacking of the Liberian-flag product tanker in January by
Nigerian pirates has sparked fears these gangs are venturing further
south.
In that incident, the pirates hijacked the MT Kerala off the coast of Luanda in Angolan waters.
The vessel was released by the pirates eight days later after the
cargo was illegally transferred in a ship-to-ship operation along the
West African coast.
Whilst the incident shows the willingness of these gangs to venture
further to commit their crime, it also raises concern due to the
violence associated with such hijackings. One crew member was injured
while the vessel was under the custody of the pirates.
The IMB has warned in its annual piracy report of
the dangers to ships transiting West African waters particularly around
Nigeria, Benin and Togo, and urge continued vigilance as the threat
remains real, as highlighted by the MT Kerala hijacking.
It further points to the fact that because pirates have never
attacked so far south, it is likely that vessels in the area are not
aware of the danger.
Last year the number of Nigerian piracy attacks grew and it currently
stands at its highest level since 2008. Nigerian pirates accounted for
31 of the 51 attacks reported in the region in 2013, and West Africa as a
whole made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year.
The common tactics employed by
these gangs operating in the area is to hijack a vessel for its cargo,
normally gas oil. However in the process, crew members are also injured
and in some instances kidnapped, and vessels fired upon.
According to a recent report by the United Nations titled Maritime Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea a lot of the piracy that affects West Africa is a product of the criminal activity associated with the region’s oil sector.
“A large share of the recent piracy attacks targeted vessels
carrying petroleum products. These vessels are attacked because there is
a booming black market for fuel in West Africa. Without this ready
market, there would be little point in attacking these vessels,†the
report said.
These attacks are damaging Nigeria’s lucrative oil industry as
analysts point out that the hijackings of tankers for oil cargoes could
increase the risk of doing business in the country.
One Nigerian Navy official recently said the country was losing N250
million ($1.5 billion) a month to maritime crime, which includes piracy,
smuggling and bunkering fraud.
As a matter of course the IMB is warning ships to be extra cautious
and to take necessary precautionary measures when transiting West
African waters.
It urges ship owners and managers who lose contact with their vessels to report it to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre as
soon as possible, so that investigations can be carried out and if
appropriate suitable warnings issued to other vessels in the same area
to reduce the risk of hijacks.
The IMB also operates a 24 hour maritime security hotline to report any information relating to maritime crime and maritime security.
IMB’s Live Piracy Map shows
that since the beginning of the year, one vessel, MT Kerala, has been
hijacked and six were boarded in West Africa. There was also one
attempted attack.
The hijacking of the Liberian-flag product tanker in January by
Nigerian pirates has sparked fears these gangs are venturing further
south.
In that incident, the pirates hijacked the MT Kerala off the coast of Luanda in Angolan waters.
The vessel was released by the pirates eight days later after the
cargo was illegally transferred in a ship-to-ship operation along the
West African coast.
Whilst the incident shows the willingness of these gangs to venture
further to commit their crime, it also raises concern due to the
violence associated with such hijackings. One crew member was injured
while the vessel was under the custody of the pirates.
The IMB has warned in its annual piracy report of
the dangers to ships transiting West African waters particularly around
Nigeria, Benin and Togo, and urge continued vigilance as the threat
remains real, as highlighted by the MT Kerala hijacking.
It further points to the fact that because pirates have never
attacked so far south, it is likely that vessels in the area are not
aware of the danger.
Last year the number of Nigerian piracy attacks grew and it currently
stands at its highest level since 2008. Nigerian pirates accounted for
31 of the 51 attacks reported in the region in 2013, and West Africa as a
whole made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year.
The common tactics employed by these gangs operating in the area is
to hijack a vessel for its cargo, normally gas oil. However in the
process, crew members are also injured and in some instances kidnapped,
and vessels fired upon.
According to a recent report by the United Nations titled Maritime Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea a lot of the piracy that affects West Africa is a product of the criminal activity associated with the regionâl oil sector.
A large share of the recent piracy attacks targeted vessels
carrying petroleum products. These vessels are attacked because there is
a booming black market for fuel in West Africa. Without this ready
market, there would be little point in attacking these vessels,†the
report said.These attacks are damaging Nigeria’s lucrative oil industry as
analysts point out that the hijackings of tankers for oil cargoes could
increase the risk of doing business in the country.
One Nigerian Navy official recently said the country was losing N250
million ($1.5 billion) a month to maritime crime, which includes piracy,
smuggling and bunkering fraud.
As a matter of course the IMB is warning ships to be extra cautious
and to take necessary precautionary measures when transiting West
African waters.
It urges ship owners and managers who lose contact with their vessels to report it to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre as
soon as possible, so that investigations can be carried out and if
appropriate suitable warnings issued to other vessels in the same area
to reduce the risk of hijacks.
The IMB also operates a 24 hour maritime security hotline to report any information relating to maritime crime and maritime security.
Reference:Â icc-ccs
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