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Pirates attacks in Gulf Of Guinea, lowest in 30 years

By Sulaimon Salau
16 October 2022   |   2:41 am
The fight against piracy being championed by the Nigerian government is yielding positive results, at the latest report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed that pirate attacks

[FILES] Nigerian special forces in a broad range of operations to increase capability and capacity to respond, check piracy, illicit trafficking, and other maritime threats in the Gulf of Guinea. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

The fight against piracy being championed by the Nigerian government is yielding positive results, at the latest report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed that pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea dropped drastically in the past nine months, indicating the lowest recorded figure in three decades.

  
IMB, in its third quarter 2022 piracy report, said it received just 13 reports from the Gulf of Guinea so far this year, compared to 27 in 2021 and 46 in 2020.
 
It stated: “Global piracy and armed robbery incidents in the maritime industry are at their lowest level in decades continuing patterns that emerged over the past two years”.
  
The organization, which tracks piracy and coordinates the reporting of incidents to the authorities, however, cautions against complacency calling for regional and international players to sustain their efforts to prevent piracy incidents.
 
Acknowledging the declining spate of attacks in THE Gulf of Guinea, the IMB reported that, “local initiatives combined with an increased international presence contributed to a continuing decline of reports from the Gulf of Guinea expanding on a two-year trend in the region”.
 
The IMB also reported a significant decline in the number of reported incidents in the region of West Africa, which had according to the organization “emerged as the world’s biggest piracy hotspot in recent years.
 
IMB Director, Michael Howlett, said: “We commend the efforts of the coastal authorities of the Gulf of Guinea. While the decline is welcome, sustained and continued efforts of the coastal authorities and the presence of the international navies remain essential to safeguard seafarers and long-term regional and international shipping and trade,”

It however noted that “while the Gulf of Guinea has seen a continuing decline in reports, incidents in the Singapore Straits are increasing, up by nearly 50 per cent so far in 2022 versus last year. The IMB data shows that 31 vessels were boarded up from 21 last year.
 
Further, the vessels, including several large vessels and tankers, were underway when they were boarded. In at least 16 incidents the crew reported that the boarders had weapons but, in most cases, the boarders stole ship stores and property and departed when they were discovered.
 
Generally, ICC IMB’s latest global quarterly piracy report details 90 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first nine months of 2022, which they said reached their lowest levels since 1992.
 
It added that, reported incidents were down a further seven per cent versus the first nine months of 2021 when the IMB received a total of 97 reports from ships.

 
However, highlighting the need for further action, the number of vessels boarded remained the same at 85 this year versus last year. In 2022, the pirates were successful in gaining access to the vessels in 95 per cent of the reported incidents. The number of the crew taken hostage increased to 27 this year versus eight in 2021, but in 2021 an additional crew of 51 crew members were also taken hostage versus none this year.
  
The danger for the crew was nearly equal between ships at anchor (40 incidents) versus that underway (37 incidents). The fewest reports (13) came from berthed vessels. Bulkers are the most vulnerable type of vessel suffered nearly half of the reported attacks (40) this year. Tankers reported the second greatest number of attacks (23) with the least number of reports (10) on containerships.
  
“While these are so far considered low-level opportunistic crimes, with no crew kidnappings or vessel hijackings, littoral states are requested to increase patrols in what is a strategically important waterway for the shipping industry and for global trade,” Howlett said.

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