The United States warned that piracy and armed robbery are increasing at an alarming rate in the Gulf of Guinea, pointing to reports by industry experts of at least 32 attacks off the coast of Nigeria alone so far this year.
United States, Ambassador Michele J. Sison, a U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations while speaking at an Open Debate on Peace Consolidation in West Africa titled “Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea in the Gulf of Guinea.“ pointed out two recent pirate attacks off the Nigerian coast that led to the apparent kidnapping of a total of eight crew members including the captain of one vessel, a Turkish cargo ship.
”Earlier this month, on April 11 at 7:56 p.m., pirates attacked a cargo vessel off the coast of Nigeria. They had waited for darkness before ambushing the vessel and boarded with force. The captain and crew sounded the alarm and hid in a protected space on the ship – only to discover when they emerged the following day that two of their crew were missing: a second officer from the Philippines and an electrician from Egypt. Both are still missing.
This was not the first pirate attack of the year, nor even the first attack that day. Earlier on April 11 – the very same day – pirates had attacked a Turkish cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, kidnapping six of the crew, including the vessel’s captain. Those men are also still missing.
Piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea are increasing at an alarming rate, with some industry experts recording at least 32 attacks off the coast of Nigeria alone in 2016, affecting many Member States, including the United States.”, she stated
During her speech, Mrs Sison highlighted that “the economic consequences for the people of the region are devastating,” refering to a report by the London think-tank Chatham House which reveals that around 400,000 barrels of crude oil are stolen every day in the Gulf of Guinea.
“By some estimates, Nigeria is losing about $1.5 billion a month due to piracy, armed robbery at sea, smuggling and fuel supply fraud,” Mrs Sison said.
She said ineffective government operations, weak rule of law and inadequate maritime law enforcement all contributed to the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, a major route for oil supplies shipped around the world. Mrs Sison concluded that without action by Africa and local governments to tackle maritime security challenges, “there is little reason to believe that attacks in the Gulf of Guinea will decline.”
