The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says Nigeria recorded 27 pirates attacks on ships in the anchorage in the third quarter of 2021.
In fact, NIMASA said the attacks against ships at port anchorages took place in various parts of the country. Director General, NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this at the International Maritime Week 2021 with the theme: ‘Seafarers and Maritime Capacity at the Core of Africa’s Shipping Future’.
Jamoh who spoke during a maritime security roundtable on the topic, ‘Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea’, said that the impact of armed and piracy attacks both at the anchorage and the Gulf of Guinea was devastating on seafarers and shipping activities. He said the agency would be meeting with the Inspector General of Police to discuss the performance of the marine police and ensure things are put on the ground for them to complement the Navy.
“There has been a decline in piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, as the region recorded 28 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the first nine months of 2021, in comparison to 46 for the same period in 2020. “Crew kidnappings in the region have dropped with only one crew member kidnapped in Q3 2021, compared to 31 crew members taken in five separate incidents during Q3 2020
“It impacted the seafarers and shipping economically such as loss of revenue due to illegal activities, high insurance premium, a threat to commerce; socially such as arm and drug smuggling, kidnapping, restiveness and others”, he said.
The NIMASA boss also decried the environmental impacts, destruction and pollution of the marine ecosystem by nefarious activities leading to loss of livelihood. He said that various interventions had been introduced through a multi-dimensional approach to address the situation such as having legislations like the passage of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses Act (SPOMO Act), review of local laws, among others.
