Security advisory for Gulf of Guinea and surrounding ports and waterways
Attacks have been increasing off Cotonou Over the months of May and June 2011 attacks have been increasing off Cotonou, where vessels (especially tankers) have been reported hijacked for a few days.The hijacked vessels are forced to rendezvous with other local barges upon which cargo is stolen.As a reminder to members, the current security advisory for the Gulf of Guinea ishereby reproduced in BIMCO's security news.Introduction - the threats The Gulf of Guinea and the surrounding ports and waterways suffer from a substantial amount of maritime criminal activity, ranging from illegal fishing to piracy and militant activity against commercial assets. Piracy and maritime militant activity is particularly prevalent in the waters off Nigeria and in the Niger Delta. It ranges from simple boarding and robbery - especially in the waters off Lagos and within its ports - to attacks on ships and offshore facilities and the hijacking of vessels for ransom - most notable in the area near the Niger Delta.Robbers/pirates in the area sometimes wears uniforms. The behaviour of the robbers/pirates is often very violent towards the crew, because the purpose of the crime is to rob the valuables of the ship and crew, and normally not to hold ...
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