Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

The Gulf of Guinea

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea affects a number of countries in West Africa as well as the wider international community. By 2011, it had become an issue of global concern.[1][2] Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are often part of heavily armed criminal enterprises, who employ violent methods to steal oil cargo.[3] In 2012, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Oceans Beyond Piracy and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program reported that the number of vessels attacks by West African pirates had reached a world high, with 966 seafarers attacked during the year.[4] According to the Control Risks Group, pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea had by mid-November 2013 maintained a steady level of around 100 attempted hijackings in the year, a close second behind the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.[5]

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a concern to significantly affect the shipping industry,[6] with over 80% of crew kidnappings occurring there, as reported by the IMB in late 2019. Officials report Nigerian pirate gangs in the Gulf of Guinea shifting, in 2019, from cargo theft to kidnapping seafaring crews in order to extort ransom from ship owners.[7] With piracy surging again in the 2020s,[8][9] governments in the region generally highlight that the fight against piracy requires a broad understanding of maritime security throughout the Gulf of Guinea.[10]

  1. ^ Baldauf, Scott (2012-02-28). "Next pirate hot spot: the Gulf of Guinea". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  2. ^ "UN says piracy off Africa's west coast is increasing, becoming more violent". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-02-29.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Insight: Piracy - Gulf of Guinea". Skuld. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  4. ^ Cowell, Alan (18 June 2013). "West African Piracy Exceeds Somali Attacks, Report Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. ^ "RiskMap 2014 Report". Control Risks Group. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships - Annual Report: 1 January - 31 December 2018" (PDF). ICC International Maritime Bureau. Retrieved 23 April 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reuters910H was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Fears that pirates are returning to seas off Somalia". France24. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Hijacked ship off Somalia fuels fears pirates back in Red Sea waters". Reuters. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  10. ^ Siebels, Dirk (2019-11-18). "Fighting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea needs a radical rethink". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-01-02.