Tag: Nigeria

The two countries are dedicating planes and ships to the effort The Republic of Benin has issued a statement detailing plans of a joint effort with Nigeria to curb the growing trend of piracy in its waters and to help retain confidence in the Port of Cotonou.The two countries are dedicating planes and ships to the effort and are appealing to all seafarers to remain calm and composed in the face of any manoeuvres that might occur as a result of these measures.The full statement (translated into English) can be read here.Source: INTERTANKO

Joint naval patrols in an effort to combat the threat of pirates Nigeria and its West African neighbour, Benin, have begun joint naval patrols in an effort to combat the threat of pirates.The Gulf of Guinea has this year seen a marked increase in the number of attacks in its waters.Last month, a group of London-based insurers rated part of its coast in the same high-risk category as Somalia.The International Maritime Bureau says there have so far been 19 attacks off Benin's coast this year.According to the bureau, which monitors such attacks, none were recorded off the same coast in 2010.Emmanual Ogbor, head of Nigeria's western naval command, says that the reason for the increase is clear.He says tough action from his ships has forced the pirates into areas where they can operate freely.The joint patrols will initially last for six months and involve six Nigerian ships and helicopters with the Beninois initially contributing two vessels.Although the joint operation is being dressed up an equal partnership, this is all about Nigeria helping out its neighbour to the west.A spokesman from Benin's navy said the attacks had scared ships away and deeply affected the country's economy.Source: BBC News

Nigerian pirate gangs are moving into the waters of neighbouring countries Nigerian pirate gangs are moving into the waters of neighbouring countries and attacking vessels further offshore after being driven from their coastal haunts by a military crackdown.The shift to deeper waters mirrors one by their better-known Somali counterparts after pressure from international warships and raises the threat to shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, which is rich in oil and minerals.Pirate attacks have spiked off the coast of Benin this year while dropping in neighbouring Nigeria, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) watchdog, and attacks may also be on the rise in Cameroon to the south."While Somalis are not coming to Nigeria with franchise kits, Nigerians do have smartphones and so can surf the Web and keep an eye on what the Somalis and other pirates are doing and incorporate inspired changes," said Michael Frodl with U.S.-based consultancy C-LEVEL Maritime Risks."All this represents a growing menace to shipping off Nigeria, Benin, and other West African nations."London's marine insurance market last month added Benin to its high-risk list, and the vast Gulf of Guinea region could become more risky for shipping, threatening a growing source of oil, metals and ...

The ship exploded after it had leaked a currently unknown substance into the ocean Nigerian maritime authorities have reported that a Liberian-flagged ship has exploded off the coast of Lagos, killing three Indian sailors, with two still unaccounted for.A spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration, Lami Tumaka, told Associated Press on Thursday there was an explosion on Sunday off the coast, confirming the vessel as the MT Jacksonville. She added that the ship exploded after it had leaked a currently unknown substance into the ocean,citing a big explosion in the engine room, spurring fires aboard the vessel.The MT Jacksonville had twelve crewmembers total on board at the time of the explosion. Ten of those crewmembers have been confirmed alive and suffering from various degrees of burn wounds and were transported to a hospital at the Apapa port in Nigera. Authorities also unfortunately recovered the bodies of three Indian men who were declared dead. Lami Tumaka added that the two remaining sailors from the Jacksonville are still missing.It is not immediately certain what caused the explosion to occur, but the Times of India has reported that the French-based company operating nearby, Total Oil Company , said the accident was caused by ...

They went missing after an explosion on a cargo ship off Lagos The bodies of three Indian crew members who went missing after an explosion on a cargo ship off Lagos, Nigeria have been recovered, Nigerian officials say.The blast on the MT Jacksonville, carrying 15 Indian crew, occurred on Sunday.Ten crew members were rescued immediately. The bodies of the dead were recovered on Thursday, and two others are still missing.The ship's origin and destination were not immediately clear.Lami Tumaka, spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, told the AFP news agency that the crew was undertaking repair work on the vessel when "there was a big explosion in the engine room" and a fire broke out.The 10 crew members who were rescued on Sunday were treated for "different levels of burns" and released, she said.It is not clear what caused the explosion on the ship.Source: BBC

Others on Regional Maritime Safety The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said that plans are currently on for the maritime administrations in Togo, Republic of Benin and Nigeria to meetwith relevant stakeholders to deliberate on ways of enhancing maritime safety in the region.Sub Regional Representative for African Anglophone countries at the IMO, Micheal Luguje disclosed this while commending the efforts of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in reducing the level of criminal acts on the waters of the West and Central African Sub-Region.Luguje commended NIMASA for effectively operating the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (RMRCC) located in Kirikiri and the agency'scollaboration with the Nigerian Navy to facilitate safety and security on Nigerian waters."I think that NIMASA's example of fruitful collaboration with the Nigerian Navy is a good example worthy of emulation by other neighbouring countries" he said.The RMRCC located in the premises of the Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Center in Kirikiri covers the entire central and West African countries of Togo, Benin, Sao Tome and Principe, Equitorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo Brazaville, Democractic Republic of Congo andNigeria.According to the deputy director, public relations of NIMASA, Lami Tumaka, the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability Center, RMAC is equipped with ...

Because the arm of the oil and gas sector is dominated by expatriates The federal government has said that the country needs about 50, 000 seafarers, and that even if the 26, 538 Niger Delta youths benefiting from the amnesty programme were trained in that aspect, it would still not enough.Speaking in Lagos at the signing of agreement for job placement with Century Group, the special adviser to the president on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, said the youths at the demobilisation camp in Obubra were encouraged to take up maritime-related courses to fill the manpower need of the oil and gas industry."We need about 50, 000 seafarers in Nigeria, because that arm of the oil and gas sector is dominated by expatriates. Those who choose maritime programme, we will take them to reputable international institutions for training. When they come back, the openings are there for them to exploit"Having known the areas that are easier for government to train the Niger Delta beneficiaries of the amnesty programme, we will be mapping out strategies of how to get them engaged in employment in line with the Local Content Act and Cabotage Act of this country. These are the areas we ...

Establishment of Maritime Security and Safety Agency The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Monday threatened to shut down seaports to protest the planned establishment of another body--Maritime Security and Safety Agency.MWUN stated this in a petition signed by its President, Mr. Tony Nted and Secretary-General, Mr. Aham Ubani, and sent to President Goodluck Jonathan.The petition, which made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, was copied to the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Minister of Transport.The union claimed that the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS) planned to establish another agency, which it said, was unacceptable.It described such an agency as a duplication of the existing Federal Government Agency, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).It said that the draft bill captioned "Maritime Security Bill 2009'' was first presented to the National Assembly in January 2010.''The draft was presented to the National Assembly and public hearing on it was held on January 13, 2010. The bill is slated for another public hearing on Tuesday.''Stakeholders were unanimous in rejecting the bill on the ground that the authority, function and financing of the proposed agency are clear duplication ...

The boats are designed to combat criminal activities in the sea To combat piracy on Nigerian waters, the Nigerian Navy yesterday in Lagos launched three newly acquired Manta boats."The combat vessels have high speed and adequate firepower to address the challenges in the maritime sector."The boats are designed to combat criminal activities in the sea, especially criminals who attack ships, waylay fishing trawlers and make the waterways unsafe,' said Commodore Jonathan Ango.Ango, who is the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Nay Ship Beecroft, Apapa, said the combat boats would complement the existing ones.According to him, the combat boats will replace the over 30-year-old boats that had been deployed to fight piracy, illegal bunkering, and vandalism of oil platforms.He stated any attack on the waterways was an attack on the maritime interest of the nation.Ango said the three vessels would be deployed in Lagos, South-East and the Niger Delta.Source: Nigerian Observer News

Focus on offshore merchant shipping Tankers and supply ships are facing an increased threat of hijacking off Nigeria, according to analysis by maritime-security firm Risk Intelligence, which is predicting an escalation of violent attacks against ships this year.Although overall maritime attacks in the Niger Delta in 2010 fell to just 58, as compared to 91 in the previous year, the bad news is that there was a significant focus on offshore merchant shipping as the pirates spread out from their usual sphere of operation.Risk Intelligence found that as a result of the failure of an amnesty programme, militants are moving away from the inshore rivers and offshore kidnappings for ransom are becoming more common.Source: Safety4Sea