Despite the drop in number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships recorded globally in the first nine months of 2019, when compared to same period in previous year, Gulf of Guinea, which houses Nigerian waters has remains a high risk area for piracy and armed robbery, the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) report for the third quarter of 2019, has stated.
According to the report, the Gulf of Guinea region accounts for 86 percent of crew taken hostage and nearly 82 percent of crew kidnappings recorded globally.
For instance, the report stated that in July, a general cargo vessel was hijacked approximately 120 nautical miles South West from Brass where 10 crew members were kidnapped from the vessel and released four weeks later.
“In August, a bulk carrier and a general cargo vessel were boarded within hours of each other at Douala anchorage in Cameroon, and a total of 17 crews were kidnapped from the vessels. Within six weeks, all kidnapped crew were released,” IMB report said.
This incident, IMB said, demonstrates the range of piracy activity in the Gulf of Guinea and that all types of ships are vulnerable to attack.
It further stated that Lagos anchorage recorded 11 incidents in 2019, the highest number for any port area.
“Although, incidents are down, the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a concern for piracy and armed robbery-related activities with kidnappings of crew members increasing in both scale and frequency,” said Pottengal Mukundan, director, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) of IMB.
According to Mukundan, “It is important that shipmasters and owners continue to report all actual, attempted, and suspected incidents to ensure that an accurate picture of these attacks emerge and action is taken against these criminals before the incidents further escalate.”
Meanwhile, IBM stated that about 119 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) in 2019, compared to 156 incidents for the same period in 2018.
“Overall, the 2019 incidents include 95 vessels boarded, 10 vessels fired upon, 10 attempted attacks, and four vessels hijacked. The number of crew taken hostage through the first nine months has declined from 112 crews in 2018 to 49 crews in 2019,” it said.
It further stated that while the overall number of incidents has dropped, incidents involving guns and knives remain consistent. “There have been 24 knife-related and 35 gun-related incidents reported in 2019, compared to 25 and 37 for the first nine months of 2018.
These statistics confirm IMB’s concerns over continued threats to the safety and security of seafarers’ onboard vessels.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
