Tag: Gulf of Guinea

Gulf of Guinea has emerged as a new 'hot spot' for pirates Piracy attacks off the Horn of Africa and in Southeast Asia have attracted most attention but the Gulf of Guinea has emerged as a new "hot spot". Increased assaults are threatening the economic development of the region, particularly the exploitation of its marine resources, according to a maritime security expert.The menacing dimensions of such attacks are underlined by the fact that the Gulf of Guinea adjoins the shores of West and Central Africa between Guinea Bissau and Angola. Eminent countries in the region include Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. Large quantities of oil, fish and other marine resources make the region a potentially rich economic zone, which produces more than 5 million barrels of oil each day and more than three quarters of the world's supply of cocoa.The Gulf of Guinea region, along with the Congo River delta and Angola further south, are in fact expected to provide around a quarter of the United States' oil imports by 2015. The region is regarded as one of the world's top oil and gas exploration hotspots.However, as Sam Bateman points out, "the region has more than its fair share of problems, ...

Gulf of Guinea is often used as a place of their concentration The Gulf has become the second pirate base after Somali.This came in a statement for reporters in Moscow by the Russian Naval Chief Victor Chirkov.He pointed out that the sea brigands off Africa's western coast act on a different pattern than the pirates in the Gulf of Aden.The latter are normally content with plundering a ship and do not hold ship crews hostage to extort ransoms.On the situation in the Gulf of Aden, Admiral Chirkov said that Russia sent two Pacific Fleet squadrons to the areain the first six months of this year as part of its anti-piracy mission.Source: The Voice of Russia

Kidnap and Ransom - West African Threat The Skuld P&I Club issues information bulletin regarding Gulf of Guinea which defined as a High Risk Area due to West African Threat as follows:We would like to draw your attention toa recent article from Tradewinds about piracy in West Africa (published 3 May 2012).Currently this is a different threatfrom that which exists in the Indian Ocean as the pirates do not have a "safe haven" to take the vessel to and from which to issue ransom demands.Therefore we have amended the wording to cover to include illegal detention. Because the losses are happening a long way offshore the definition of the insured area is wider than just calls to ports.Already we have seen instances of crew being removed from vessels and the concern is that these could be ransomed. This would be an insured event under the wording that we offer.With these events taking time to resolve the Charterers may wish to consider buying LOH for calls to this area.Due to the increased risk in this area please also find attached a set of guidelines recently issued by the maritime security consultants, BGNPlease do not hesitate to call your respective syndicate if ...

ICC- IMB Piracy Report One hundred and two incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported for the first quarter of 2012, with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters, according to figures released yesterday in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) global piracy report.In total, 11 vessels were reported hijacked worldwide, with 212 crew members taken hostage and four crew killed. A further 45 vessels were boarded, with 32 attempted attacks and 14 vessels fired upon - the latter all attributed to either Somali or Nigerian pirates.Nigerian pirates widening rangeTen reports were received from Nigeria in the beginning of 2012, equalling the same number reported in Nigeria for the whole of last year. A further attack in neighbouring Benin has also been attributed to Nigerian pirates. The reports include the hijackings of one product and one chemical tanker, between which 42 crewmembers were taken hostage."Nigerian piracy is increasing in incidence and extending in range," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since 1991. "At least six of the 11 reported incidents in Nigeria occurred at distances greater than 70 nautical miles from the coast, which ...

Maritime insecurity in West Africa is fast becoming a major area of concern Maritime insecurity in West Africa is fast becoming a major area of concern, particularly given the increase in piracy and armed attacks upon shipping and trade. Altogether 19 incidents of piracy and armed attacks have already been reported in 2012 according to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)'s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS),West African states have attempted to pre-empt the emergence of piracy by increasing their capacity to deter and prevent illegal activities. For instance, in response to attacks off its coastline Benin has recently purchased fast, armed patrol craft and other West Africa countries are likely to do the same. However, amidst this concern over West African piracy that could mimic piracy around the Horn of Africa, it is vital that one of the major sources of maritime insecurity that could lead to piracy and armed attacks in both regions be kept in mind, that of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.Major media investigations, including those by Al Jazeera in Sierra Leone and the UK's Guardian in Senegal, are slowly increasing the awareness of IUU. Any increase in insecurity amongst West African fishing communities as a ...

West Africa: ECCAS, ECOWAS More than 250 representatives from more than 20 African nations attended the official opening ceremony of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Maritime Safety and Security Conference held on March 28, 2012.Top military officials, distinguished diplomats, and civilian ministers of agencies with maritime security authorities from ECCAS and ECOWAS attended the opening ceremony, which began with the host nation of Benin's military band playing their national anthem. Other guests representing the United Nations, the African Union, Europe and the United States were also in attendance. The event concluded with ECOWAS and ECCAS signing a communiqué agreeing on the submission of the draft Memorandum of Understanding and Operational Agreement to the respective Regional Economic Community Secretariats.The U.S. Africa Command and Africa Center for Strategic Studies organized and facilitated the seminar.The seminar was held to charter a way for cooperation between both African communities to provide regional maritime security in the central and western African regions and among member states to combat piracy, robbery at sea, and other illicit activities at sea in the Gulf of Guinea."This is a meeting of technical experts from West and Central Africa ...

It has been agreed to establish a High Risk Area in the territorial waters of Nigeria and Benin International Maritime Employers' Committee Ltd. Advised its members that following discussion at an IBF High Level Officers' meeting held in Tokyo and subsequent communication between the parties, it has been agreed to establish a High Risk Area in the territorial waters of Nigeria and Benin, extending to 12 nautical miles from the shore line. The full text of the agreement follows and members should note that it enters effect from 1 April 2012. IMEC members have been asked to ensure that the Masters of any vessels visiting Nigeria or Benin are notified of this new designation and the necessary information is supplied to seafarers as follows:The constituents to the International Bargaining Forum have been increasingly concerned about the deteriorating situation in respect of security of crews employed on IBF vessels in the Gulf of Guinea. Specifically, available reports of attacks leading to forceful seizure of cargo and kidnapping of crew members have been considered at length. The increase in the number of attacks and the violent tactics of hostage taking applied by armed gangs, have been found disturbing, particularly in the waters ...

Naval Intelligence warns of West African attacks on merchant ships Latest piracy report from Office of Naval Intelligence warns of West African attacks on merchant shipsThe Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) message from ONI provides information on threats to, and criminal action against, merchant vessels worldwide. The following attacks have recently taken place in West African waters:DEM.REP.CONGO: Refrigerated Cargo Ship boarded while anchored in the E, Boma Anchorage. Ten robbers in two boats boarded the ship stole cargo, stores took crewman as temporary hostage.NIGERIA: Chemical tanker approached off Port Harcourt Fairway Buoy. Seven heavily armed robbers in a speed boat approached the tanker, bridge crew raised the alarm, increased speed and set course away from land. The armed naval guards onboard the vessel made their presence known. Seeing vessel readiness and armed guards, the robbers aborted the attempted attack and moved away.Refrigerated cargo ship boarded off Port Harcourt. Eight pirates armed with guns boarded the ship from a small wooden boat and started firing towards the bridge and galley areas. The pirates ransacked the ship and stole crew cash, personal effects, and ship's cash and property. They took hostage the ship's Master and Chief Engineer and escaped. The ship informed ...

Threat is increasing in scope and violence in the Gulf of Guinea West Africa's light, sweet crude is easier and cheaper to refine than Middle Eastern oil. It is also located off-shore, which means lower transport costs and reduced risk of loss from civil unrest, theft, corruption and political upheaval. To meet increasing demand for this valuable commodity, the nations of West Africa have undertaken to double production over the next decade. Unfortunately, they face an increasingly irritating and dangerous foe in the region: piracy is increasing in scope and violence in the Gulf of Guinea.The Gulf of Guinea has, in the past year, seen a tremendous increase in pirate attacks. So far, pirates operating there have been after goods and not interested in kidnapping for ransom, as is often the case in attacks off the coast of the Horn of Africa. Nonetheless, the costs are crippling to the nations of West Africa: for example, after it was designated as high risk by a maritime insurance company last year, the port of Cotonou, which carries 90 percent of Benin's trade and is a vital transportation link for neighboring Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad, lost a significant amount of its ...

In West Africa ships are not hijacked but only attacked and robbed The violent hijack of a Dutch cargo ship off the Nigerian coast has highlighted the increase in piracy in the area. The captain and chief engineer were kidnapped and one crew member injured in Tuesday's attack.Somalia may have the reputation as the world's centre for maritime piracy, but an umbrella group of insurers have designated the coastal waters of Nigeria and Benin as a danger zone - the same category as Somali waters.Thirty nations have vessels participating in an anti-piracy fleet in and around the coastal waters of Somalia. While this intervention is having some effect with the number of attacks decreasing slightly last year, a similar problem is emerging at the other side of the continent.There is a difference though: in East Africa ships and their crews are only released after the pirates have been paid paying millions of dollars in ransom, while in West Africa ships are not high jacked but attacked and robbed.Lack of authorityCrime at sea is a result of a lack of authority on land. In Somalia there is no functioning state structure and piracy has developed into a highly organised criminal economy. ...