Dryad Global indicates that a vessel has been boarded approximately 278nm off South Lome, Togo.
The reported incident location is 52nm outside of the JWC-025 HRA and 110nm outside of the Nigerian EEZ and in particular in position 01°11’3N 001°30’19E.
Up until this moment, an investigation is in progress. This incident would represent a break in a significant hiatus of reporting within the Gulf of Guinea.
What is more, last week, Dryad Global published its Annual Report 2021, demonstrating that the global maritime security picture in 2021 was defined by an ever-increasing complex web of threat actors.
According to Dryad Global, the decline in piracy throughout West Africa in 2021 saw overall incidents of piracy and maritime crime decline by 56% compared to 2020. Incidents of actual and attempted attacks and vessels being fired upon dropped by more than 85%. The number of vessels boarded throughout the region fell by 54%. Incidents of vessels being boarded, and crews kidnapped declined by 60%.
There are, however, differing narratives which might explain the rapid decline in piracy. Within Nigeria, the decline in piracy throughout 2021 has been heralded as the result of the implementation of the $195M Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project (DBP).
In addition, the lower Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are two areas where state-based, and state-backed threats are increasingly setting the security agenda and yet 2021 remained a year of few incidents. Despite this, the lower Red Sea remains an area where the threat remains at its most complex and potent within specific localised areas and conditions.
