Piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea over the past six months (since 16 August 2017) have remained concentrated in Nigerian territorial waters (TTW), especially south of Port Harcourt and Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. NYA MarTrack data shows there have been 75 piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea within the past six months, including 21 vessel hijackings and 13 attacks. 86% of Gulf of Guinea incidents occurred in Nigerian TTW and 67% specifically in waters off the Niger Delta region. Nigerian pirate action groups (PAGs) in particular have favoured targeting vessels on the approach to Port Harcourt, with 29 attacks or approaches recorded within 65NM of Bonny Fairway Buoy (13NM SSW of Bonny Island).
Nigerian PAGs have attacked a wide range of vessels. The 29 vessels targeted within 65NM of Bonny Fairway Buoy include: eight unspecified merchant or cargo vessels, seven container vessels, five tankers, four supply or service vessels, and two bulk carriers. The aim of PAGs has been to board vessels offshore and kidnap crewmembers. If successful, pirates have typically taken hostages to hideouts in the Niger Delta creeks and waterways and demanded large ransom sums. According to ICC-IMB’s 2017 Annual Piracy Report, Nigerian PAGs kidnapped 65 crewmembers in 2017.
PIRATE MODUS OPERANDI
Pirates’ modus operandi has remained consistent. Nigerian PAGs are heavily armed and frequently carry firearms (including AK47s and shotguns), which they fire indiscriminately at vessels to intimidate crew. The typical attack consists of one or two small speedboats carrying six to eight armed pirates approaching a vessel offshore and attempting to board using ladders, hooks and ropes.
Demonstrating Nigerian PAGs’ violent tactics, on 16 November 2017 eight pirates in a speedboat approached a bulk carrier. Five of them succeeded in boarding the vessel. Once boarded, the pirates fired at the bridge and then broke the bridge windows using a sledgehammer. They ransacked crew cabins and stole cash and valuable items before escaping when a Nigerian Navy vessel arrived. In another attack on 11 November 2017 armed pirates ambushed a bulk carrier near a pilot station south of Bonny Island. They boarded the vessel and fired their weapons at the bridge window, damaging them. They then kidnapped 10 crewmembers and stole crew personal belongings as well as other valuable items on board before escaping in their speedboat. The level of piracy in Nigerian TTW is likely to remain elevated in the medium to long term. MarTrack recorded 11 Nigerian TTW incidents in January 2018, compared with four in January 2017, 18 in January 2016 and four in January 2015 – indicating there has been no substantial decline in PAG activity of late.
Elsewhere in the Gulf of Guinea MarTrack only recorded 10 piracy incidents over the past six months; these consisted of five criminal boardings in Ghana, three suspicious approaches in Ivory Coast and Togo, and two incidents classified as hijackings off Cotonou, Benin. On 10 January 2018 a tanker went missing off Cotonou after it lost communication with authorities. Two days later hijackers made contact with the vessel owners. The vessel was recovered on 16 January after owners conducted a “resolution process” with the hijackers; international media reported a ransom sum was paid. A second vessel disappeared off Cotonou on 1 February. Again, after a period of six days the vessel was allegedly recovered with all 22 crewmembers safe. The Benin Navy however denied the second incident was a hijacking and are conducting an investigation into the incident. Whether the second incident was a genuine hijacking or not, the recent suspicious activity off Cotonou means vessels should exercise caution and vigilance off the Benin coast in the short to medium term.
Source : nyarisk
