Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

The Gulf of Guinea

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea affects a number of countries in West Africa as well as the international community; by 2011 it had become an issue of international concern.^[1][2]

Scope of the problem

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has evolved over the first decade of the century. For some time, smaller ships shuttling employees and materials belonging to the oil companies with any involvement in oil exploration had been at risk in Nigeria. Over time, pirates became more aggressive and better armed.^[2] By 2010 45 and by 2011 64 incidents were reported to the UN International Maritime Organization,^[1] however, many events go unreported. Vessels are primarily captured for their valuable cargo rather than for hostages. Thus, seized oil tankers are redirected to chartered tankers that receive the stolen oil. Piracy acts interfere with the legitimate trading interests of the affected countries that include Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As an example, trade of Benin's major port, the Port of Cotonou, was reported in 2012 to have dropped by 70 percent.^[2] The cost of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea due to stolen goods, security, and insurance has been estimated to be about $2 billion.^[1]

International response

The international community has expressed concern over the increasing number of reports of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre reported that the range of the attacks is extending and the level of violence against the crews is “dangerously high”.^[3]

In November 2011 General-Secretary Ban Ki-Moon assembled a team to examine the situation.^[2] As a result a recommendation was made to convene a regional summit as to form a united front by the affected African countries. It was recognized that the area needs a comprehensive maritime security framework across national boundaries to fight piracy.^[4] further, technical and logistical help is needed from the international community.

The United States created the Africa Command (Africom) and started joint navy training exercises with affected African countries.^[1]

Locations of attacks

Among the locations in Nigeria that have been subject to attacks by pirates are:

• Lagos, Lagos State^[5]
• Bonny Island, Rivers State^[5]

Attacks per year

• 2003 - 39^[6]
• First half of 2004 - 13^[7]
• 2007 - 56^[6]
• 2008 - 40^[8]

Chronology of selected attacks

• Jan. 4, 2009: Pirates hijacked the French ship Bourbon Leda with five Nigerians, two Ghanaians, one Cameroonian and one Indonesian on board. It was freed Jan. 7.^[9]
• Jan. 21: Gunmen attack the diesel tanker MT Meredith and kidnap a Romanian, who is released a day later.^[10]
• Jan. 23: Rebels steal some items from the Exxon tanker MV Ngoni. They also seized a tugboat.^[8]
• April 21: Rebels attacked the Turkish ship Ilena Mercan and kidnapped two crewmen.^[11]
• November 24: Pirates hijacked the Liberian-flagged Cancale Star off Benin and killed a Ukrainian officer before robbing the ship.^[12]
• December 1: The Ghanaian Navy intercepted the hijacked oil tanker African Prince a week after it had been taken. The pirates escaped; they had killed the ship's chef.^[13]
• March 13, 2010: A Chinese fishing vessel was hijacked off the Bakassi Peninsula, Cameroon. Seven fishermen were abducted. The kidnappers demanded a ransom and later released the vessel and its passengers on March 18.^[14]
• September 23: Three Frenchmen were kidnapped from a vessel belonging to the company Bourbon off the Nigerian coast.^[15]
• August 3, 2011: Two Panamanian-flagged tankers were attacked off Benin's coast but the ships were not taken.^[16] In the previous week, an Italian diesel tanker and a Swedish tanker were also attacked off Benin.^[16][17]

References

External links

• West Africa's Gulf of Guinea Robber Pirates - Flags of Convenience
• FACTBOX - Attacks in the Gulf of Guinea
• Pirates take new territory: West African Gulf of Guinea