High alert for piracy off West Coast

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is advising the crews of vessels to be extra vigilant when transiting West Africa as piracy in the region is a growing concern. One of the hot spots is the waters off Nigeria. “Generally all waters in Nigeria remain risky,” advises the IMB. “Pirates are often violent and have attacked, hijacked and robbed vessels and kidnapped crews along the coast, rivers, anchorages, ports and surrounding waters. “Vessels are advised to be vigilant as many attacks have gone unreported.” In January 2014 pirates hijacked a tanker off the Angola coastline. There have been at least another 18 incidents reported between Point Noire and Sierra Leone. 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 in 2013. The common tactics employed by these gangs operating in the area is to hijack a vessel for its cargo, normally petrochemical products. However, in the process, crew members are also injured and in some instances kidnapped. Vessels have also been fired upon. According to a report by the United Nations, titled Maritime Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, much of the piracy that affects West Africa is a product of the criminal activity associated with the region’s oil sector. The IMB has urged 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 operates a 24-hour maritime security hotline to report any information relating to maritime crime and maritime security.