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.