Even though it is yet to release the third quarter 2013 piracy performance index, the global maritime industry piracy watchdog; the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) last week again rated Nigeria as the piracy hotspot along the Gulf of Guinea.
The IMB also added Nigeria’s immediate neighbours; Benin Republic, Togo and Ivory Coast and coasts that should scare ship masters.
However, in a sharp departure from previous ratings which fingered the Niger Delta, the IMB say that Lagos coast is pirate-invested.
Even though it is yet to release the third quarter 2013 piracy performance index, the global maritime industry piracy watchdog; the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) last week again rated Nigeria as the piracy hotspot along the Gulf of Guinea.
The IMB also added Nigeria’s immediate neighbours; Benin Republic, Togo and Ivory Coast and coasts that should scare ship masters.
However, in a sharp departure from previous ratings which fingered the Niger Delta, the IMB say that Lagos coast is pirate-invested.
“Attacks are reported up to 120nm from coast. In some incidents, pirates hijacked the vessels for several days and ransacked the vessels and stole part cargo usually gas oil. A number of crew members were injured in past attacks”
It also advised ship master that: “Generally all waters in Nigeria remain risky. Vessels are advised to be vigilant as many attacks may have gone unreported”.
The report on Nigeria also coincided with reports of serial attacks by sea robbers on boat operators, fishermen and passengers within the Akwa Ibom coastal waters in the last two months.
Reports say that at least 30 persons including boat operators, fishermen and passengers have died as a result of attacks by militants and sea pirates who laid siege on Akwa Ibom coastal waters.
Giving a blow by blow account of the ordeal, a coalition of boat operators and fishermen unions in Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area including Mbo Marine Transport (MMT), Ibaka Speedboat Transport (IST), Isongka Association (IA), Fishing Trawlers (FT) and the Mbo chapter of the National Association of Ghanaian Community in Nigeria said they have suspended maritime activities to avoid more casualties.
They alleged that militants and sea pirates have made lives unbearable for fishermen, boat operators and passengers travelling to Cameroon and other countries within the Gulf of Guinea.
Specifically, they disclosed that mostly affected by the operations of these sea robbers were Ibaka, Ibeno, Eastern Obolo and other Akwa Ibom territorial waters.
According to the chairman of Mbo Marine Transport (MMT), Mr. Bassey Etim, several complaints to security agencies have failed to yield the desired results as the hoodlums continue their illegal activities with reckless abandon, seizing their fishing nets, outboard engines and other personal belongings including cash.
Also, the leader of the Ghanaian Community in Mbo, Rowland Tunde, said the attacks by the sea pirates and militants have led to the withdrawal of their services as boat operators to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and other countries.
Disturbed by the problem which has led to the scarcity of sea foods, the village head of Ibaka, Chief Asuquo Asuquo Etifit, blamed the rise in coastal crimes to ineffective security networks within the waterways of Akwa Ibom.
“The naval personnel are just there, they can’t help in any way to tackle the problem. They can only patrol”, he indicted.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the IMB had in its July 2013 report, raised an alarm that the oil-rich West African Gulf of Guinea is ominously emerging as the epicentre of armed piracy.
According to the IMB report, there was an alarming surge in piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, mainly off Nigeria, with 31 incidents including four hijackings reported till June this year. The region accounted for all the 30 crew kidnappings reported so far in 2013. The piracy hotspot also saw 56 sailors taken hostage.
“Notably, 22 of the 31 piracy incidents and 28 of the kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea occurred off Nigeria”, it said.
“There has been a worrying trend in the kidnapping of crew from vessels well outside the territorial limits of coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea,” said IMB director Pottengal Mukundan.
“In April 2013, nine crew members were kidnapped form two container vessels, one of which was 170 nautical miles from the coast. Pirates have used motherships, some of which were smaller off-shore supply vessels hijacked by pirates to conduct the attacks,’ he said. Mr. Mukundan rued that there was “significant under-reporting” of attacks which prevented meaningful response by the authorities.
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