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Worldwide, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded 201 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2018, up from 180 in 2017.

The Gulf of Guinea remained increasingly dangerous for seafarers as reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled in 2018. The incidents included all six hijackings worldwide, 13 of the 18 ships fired upon, 130 of the 141 hostages taken globally, and 78 of 83 seafarers kidnapped for ransom.

The region saw a significant new spike in violence in the last quarter of 2018. Vessels have been boarded by pirates well outside territorial waters, with crew kidnapped and taken into Nigeria where they are held for ransom.

“There is an urgent need for increased cooperation and sharing of intelligence between the Gulf of Guinea’s littoral states so that effective action can be taken against pirates, both at sea and on-shore where their operations originate and end,” an IMB spokesman said.

Overview

In the last three months of 2018, 41 kidnappings were recorded in Nigerian waters alone. On October 27, 2018, 11 crew were kidnapped from a container vessel 70 nautical miles off Bonny Island, Nigeria. Two days later, Nigerian pirates in a speedboat hijacked a tanker underway 100 nautical miles off Point Noire, Congo. Eight of the 18 crew were kidnapped.

Although no ships were hijacked in the Somalia region, pirates fired upon a Suezmax tanker in the Gulf of Aden, as well as a product tanker and a Capesize bulk carrier more than three hundred miles from the Somali coastline.

In Indonesia, patrols by the Marine Police have seen the number of incidents drop for the third successive year. The majority of the 36 Indonesian reports were low-level opportunistic thefts. Six crew, however, were taken a hostage and threatened, “indicating the need to be vigilant”.

Attacks off Sabah, eastern Malaysia, continue to be a cause of concern with five crew from two fishing boats reported as kidnapped. Separately four attackers in a speedboat fired on a tug, and the master was shot in the leg.

Ten incidents have been reported from the Philippine islands – down from 22 in 2017. Batangas anchorage accounts for five of these. In one attack, suspected militants fired upon a general cargo ship.

Press Releases: IMB

Photo Courtesy: EUNAVFOR

The post IMB: Piracy Attacks More Than Double in Gulf of Guinea appeared first on Maritime Manual.

Around 40 ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Guinea in the past 12 months. Most recently, six seafarers were kidnapped from the MSC Mandy, which was on the way to Lagos, Nigeria.

“We look towards the EU, China and the United States to join forces and deploy naval capacity in the Gulf of Guinea to end this constant threat to seafarers,” Jakob P. Larsen, BIMCO Head of Maritime Security, said.

In the 2013 Yaoundé Code of Conduct, states in the Gulf of Guinea recognized that piracy constituted an issue and initiated several initiatives to strengthen maritime security.

Despite the efforts of regional navies to fight maritime crimes, “pirates in the Gulf of Guinea can still operate largely unchecked in the open seas, outside of the territorial waters, and on occasion even strike inside territorial waters.”

In addition to the strain put on seafarers, the current situation negatively impacts the economic potential of the sea of the countries in the region.

“It is time to step up law enforcement efforts, establish control of the sea in the Gulf of Guinea, relieve seafarers from the threat and the psychological pressure, and allow the countries in the region to harvest the full economic potential of the seas,” Larsen added.

BIMCO explained that international sea and air law enforcement assets, such as naval ships with helicopters, would be able to deliver a concrete and rapid contribution to the maritime security situation.

“While longer term capacity building efforts are commended, what is needed now is substantially more assets at sea and in the air. It is an obvious solution which can deliver the necessary effect with the desired speed, without compromising the territorial integrity of the countries in the region,” Larsen concluded.

Press Releases: BIMCO

Photo Courtesy: EUNAVFOR

The post BIMCO: EU, China, US Need to Support Counter-Piracy in GoG appeared first on Maritime Manual.

The Council extended the mandate of the EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia until 31 March 2019. The operation’s core mandate is to contribute to the EU’s work to disrupt the business model of migrant smugglers and human traffickers in the Southern Central Mediterranean

The operation has also supporting tasks. It trains the Libyan Coastguard and Navy and monitors the long-term efficiency of the training and it contributes to the implementation of the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya.

In addition, the operation also conducts surveillance activities and gathers information on illegal trafficking of oil exports from Libya, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. As such, the operation contributes to EU efforts for the return of stability and security in Libya and to maritime security in the Central Mediterranean region.

EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia was launched on 22 June 2015. It is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to migration. The Operation Commander is Rear Admiral Credendino, from Italy. The headquarters of the operation are located in Rome.

Press Releases: consilium.europa.eu

Photo Courtesy: eunavfor.eu

The post EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia: Mandate Extended Until 31 March 2019 appeared first on Maritime Manual.

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