• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Nigeria replaces Indonesia as top global hotspot for piracy

Nigeria replaces Indonesia as top global hotspot for piracy

Nigeria has replaced Indonesia as top global hotspot for piracy, accounting for 48 incidents or almost one in four of all reported cases globally in 2018, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s (AGCS) Safety & Shipping Review 2019 released weekend.

The annual study, which analyses reported shipping losses of over 100 gross tons (GT), reveals that increased activity in the Gulf of Guinea (more than 70 incidents overall) is responsible for Nigeria replacing Indonesia as the top global hotspot for piracy, where it has been reported that many crew members are kidnapped and taken into Nigeria where they are held for ransom.

According to the report, pirates in Nigeria have also demonstrated their capabilities further out at sea by hijacking a tanker around 100 nautical miles off Point Noire, Congo in October 2018, with safety of crew still a major cause of concern.

“The hijacking and boarding of vessels is still tied to inequality and the economic situation in parts of Africa and Asia, which together account for more than three in four cases globally,” the report said.

Read Also: NIMASA seeks partnership with immigration to curb illegal migration, piracy

In 2018, 46 total losses of vessels were reported around the shipping world, down from 9,812 months earlier, driven by a significant decline in activity in the global loss hotspot, South East Asia, and weather-related losses (10) halving after quieter hurricane and typhoon seasons.

The number of piracy incidents around the world increased by 12 percent year-on-year to 201 in 2018. Given 2017’s total of 180 incidents was the lowest total for 22 years, the 2018 piracy count still represents an 18 percent decrease in incidents from five years ago (2014:245).

While this plummet in total losses is encouraging, the number of reported shipping incidents overall (2,698 in 2018) shows little decline – less than 1 percent year-on-year. Machinery damage is the major cause, accounting for more than a third of the 26,000+ incidents over the past decade – twice as many as the next highest cause, collision. Machinery damage is one of the most expensive causes of marine insurance claims, accounting for $1 billion+ in five years.

“Today’s record low total loss activity is certainly influenced by fortunate circumstances in 2018, but it also underlines the culmination of the long-term improvement of safety in the global shipping industry,” says Baptiste Ossena, global product leader, Hull & Marine Liabilities, AGCS.

He says, “Improved ship design, technology, tighter regulation and more robust safety management systems on vessels have also helped to prevent breakdowns and accidents from turning into major losses. However, the lack of an overall fall in shipping incidents, heightened political risks to vessel security, complying with 2020 emissions rules and the growing number of fires on board bring challenges.”