The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is concerned about the developments of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, writes IMB in a piracy report for the first half of 2013.
The number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia continued its decline in the first half of 2013 and has now reached its lowest level since 2006, according to a report from the International Maritime Bureau, which will now focus on piracy and robbery off the coast of West Africa.
During the first six months of 2013, IMB registered 138 pirate incidents globally, compared to 177 cases in the same period last year. Seven ships were hijacked in the first half of 2013 versus 20 ships during the first half of 2012. And the number of mariners held captive also declined significantly in 2013, down to 127 mariners this year, compared to 334 mariners in the same period last year.
Moved to West Africa
It does, however, look like the pirates may have moved to the other coast. IMB points to an escalation of piracy and robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, with 31 incidents in the area so far this year, including four hijackings. Additionally, IMB reports an increase in kidnappings at sea and that the pirates are targeting a wider array of ship types.
“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. In April 2013, nine crew members were kidnapped from two container vessels, one of which was 170 nautical miles from the coast. Pirates have used motherships, some of which were smaller offshore supply vessles hijacked by pirates to conduct the attacks,” says Pottengal Mukundan, head of the IMB.
In the Gulf of Guinea, 56 mariners were taken hostage by armed pirates, who are also responsible for 30 kidnappings of crew members so far in 2013, writes IMB. One person was killed while at least five others were injured. 22 of the 31 attacks in the region took place off the coast of Nigeria, while 28 of the kidnappings took place off the country’s coast.
International fleets helping
On the other side of Africa, the number of kidnappings dropped to two in the first half of 2013, while 34 were taken hostage. According to IMB, the declining number of hijackings and kidnappings in the region is a result of the international fleets operating in the region.
However, there’s little chance that IMB’s numbers correspond to a truthful representation of the real situation, says the bureau, as not all attacks are reported.
“There continues to be significant under-reporting of attacks – a phenomenon highlighted by the IMB year on year. This prevents meaningful response by the authorities and endangers other vessels sailing into the area unaware of the precise nature of the threat,” writes the IMB.
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