Expanding the area where security measures are recommended
MTKerala was reportedly hijacked on 18 January 2014 off Luanda and released 25 January 2014 off Nigeria. The vessel did not expect to be attacked and was not very well protected.
According to NSA, Liberian flag state, allied and industry stakeholders this incident off Luanda has to be treated as a piracy attack by Nigerian pirates. Assertions of the local authorities that hijacking of Kerala was “faked” were contradicted by the Liberian Register, which continues to investigate this incident with the help of various multinational resources including INTERPOL.
The pirates disabled the vessel’s AIS and other communication equipment, painted over the vessel’s identifying features. Diesel cargo on board the ship was offloaded during three STS operations prior vessel’s release. One crew member was reported injured, other crew members were beaten but not injured.
Statistically most Nigerian piracy attacks and robberies take place in the Gulf of Guinea: off Nigeria, Benin and Togo. However, southward expansion of piracy calls for security precautions while operating off Angola including in the offshore oil fields.
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The NSA recommends that relevant security measures are implemented by masters on vessels operating between (and including) Cote d’Ivoire and Angola. Vessels and companies are encouraged to take note of and follow the recommendations submitted by the industry in the “Interim Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for protection against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region”, as well as other relevant advice, including for example:
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Source: The Skuld P&I Club
