Levels of violence escalate in growing spate of piracy

Patrols by naval vessels from Benin and Nigeria have been introduced in order to stem a growing spate of piracy off the African West Coast. Nigerian pirates in particular are reported by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to be widening their range. “At least six of the 11 reported incidents in Nigeria occurred at distances greater than 70 nautical miles from the coast, which suggests that fishing vessels are being used as mother ships to attack shipping further afield,” says Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since 1991. In the first quarter of 2012, there were 10 reports of piracy out of Nigeria – the same number reported for Nigeria the whole of last year. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), pirates or robbers operating out of Lagos and Port Harcourt in Nigeria “are often violent and have attacked, hijacked and robbed vessels or kidnapped crews along the coast, rivers, anchorages, ports and surrounding waters. “A number of crew members have been injured in past attacks. Generally all waters in Nigeria remain risky. Vessels are advised to be vigilant as many attacks may have gone unreported,” it says. Another hotspot is the waters off Benin. Vessels bound for the port of Cotonou are warned that pirates have fired on ships, and that “many” tankers have been attacked and hijacked. “Pirates forced Masters to sail to an unknown location where ships’ property and sometimes cargo was stolen. A number of crew members have been injured in the past,” according to the ICC. It says local authorities are taking action: “Recent patrols by Benin and Nigerian authorities resulted in a drop in the number of attacks. However, vessels are advised to continue to be vigilant and maintain strict anti-piracy watches and measures. “While the number of reported incidents in Nigeria is still lower than Somalia, and hijacked vessels are under control of the pirates for days rather than months, the level of violence against crew is dangerously high,” adds Mukundan.