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Piracy persists amid counter security efforts

As the waters of the Gulf of Guinea remain a dangerous hotbed for pirates, Nigeria still lack legal framework to deter armed robbery on sea and port channels, BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports

 

After spending $1.61billion on maritime security in the last two years without result, Nigerian Navy (NN) has embarked on another mission by joining forces with her counterparts from West and Central African countries, China, France and Portugal in an exercise to rid the Gulf of Guinea of pirates, crude oil thieves, traffickers and other maritime crimes.

Security cost

In the last two years, Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) estimated that West African countries spent $793.7 million in 2016 and $818.1 million in 2017 for contracted maritime security to curb piracy.
It noted that only $68 million was spent for naval activities in the period.

It explained that operating the security zones by Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin near major ports cost $9.3 million in 2017 to ensure that ships can safely anchor, wait for berths and conduct ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfer.

In Nigeria, while private companies provide the ships, maintenance, logistics, and platform, Nigerian Navy supplies the security personnel and weapons.

Despite the measures and huge recourses taken to curtail incessant kidnappings and attacks on board vessels by sea robbers, 97 attacks were recorded along the coast of West Africa in 2017.

Incidents
According to OBP, there were more successful kidnappings in 2017 than in 2016 off West Africa, with more seafarers held captive for longer than one day with the overwhelming majority of attacks happening off the Niger Delta area in Nigeria.

Last year, 90 seafarers were attacked as against the 56 recorded in 2016. There were also 18 reports of suspicious activities and 42 failed attempts.

Out of the incidents off West Africa in 2017, one involved hijacking for cargo theft, 15 involved robbery, and 21 kidnappings.It was gathered that most of the victims were in tankers and bulk carriers, either steaming or anchored.
Unfortunately, OBP said that the legal framework for deterring arm robbery and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea was thin.
For instance, it alleged that pirates arrested for the MT Maximus attack in 2016 were charged in November, 2017 but because Nigeria lacks a criminal law for piracy, charges had to be limited to related offences.

Team up

Worried by these, the Nigerian Navy (NN), last week, embarked on an exercise codenamed Eku Kugbe with the deployment of 18 ships, two helicopters and a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) across the Gulf of Guinea to strengthen the existing maritime security framework provided by Togo, Ghana, Benin and other forces from China, France and Portugal.

Of the 18 ships, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, said that NN had deployed 12 ships and two helicopters.

Way out

He stressed that Cameroon, Ghana, Togo, China, France and Portugal each sent warship for the exercise.

Kicking off the exercise, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, said that major threats like piracy and attacks on shipping had become predominant in the region with negative consequences on the economy and overall wellbeing of the affected countries.
He explained that NN had been focused and proactive in combating myriads of threats and illegal activities in Nigeria’s maritime domain extending to the region.

As a proactive measure, Olonisakin noted that the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had established maritime security mechanisms.

He said: “To facilitate the goals of the security mechanism, regional navies would need to operationalise existing maritime security framework.

Sanctions

Meanwhile, as part of measure to arrest criminals activities currently plaguing the Lagos Ports Complex, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has threatened to sack any branch executive, whose jurisdiction is not safe for shipping activities.

The move by the union, according to Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, is to complement the Federal Government’s move to improve security at the ports through its strategic collaboration with terminal operators and government agencies.

Although the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said that it had outlined strategies to curb such attacks by purchasing more platforms to police the waterfronts, Adeyanju alleged that some unscrupulous workers at the facility might be compromising to create an opportunity for those vessels to be attacked at berth by hoodlums.

Adeyanju lamented that the union was not comfortable with attacks on vessels at berths and had put in place measures by serving a notice of warning to members of the union working at the port terminals.

He noted that members of the union, who operate at the terminals should serve as watchdogs and support the security personnel of their respective terminals.

Adeyanju threatened to sanction labour officers if any terminal further suffered robbery attacks on ships at berth and other possible cases of stowaways.

He lamented that the termination of tally clerks and onboard security contracts from the respective stevedoring companies indirectly contributed to the incessant attacks as the attitude of those who lost their jobs could be a factor.

Last line

There is need for government to seek joint intelligence report from stakeholders in order to tackle the menace of sea robbery in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa.