The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is celebrating the report of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) whose 2nd Quarter (Q2) 2021 report indicates a global reduction of piracy to the lowest level in 27 years, including the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region.
Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, said on Thursday that the IMB report is a welcome development and impetus that the Agency would not rest on it oars in ensuring zero tolerance for piracy in the Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
Dr Jamoh noted that the IMB has given credence to Nigeria’s efforts in combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) including the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure also called the Deep Blue Project of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 61 vessels boarded, four attempted attacks, two vessels fired upon and one vessel hijacked. Despite an overall decline in reported incidents, violence against crews continued with 50 crew kidnapped, two assaulted, one injured and one killed throughout the first half of 2021.
According to the report, “the Gulf of Guinea continues to be particularly dangerous for seafarers with 32% of all reported incidents taking place in the region, according to IMB. The region accounted for all 50 kidnapped crew and the single crew fatality recorded by IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during the first half of 2021.
“The number of kidnappings recorded in the Gulf of Guinea in the second quarter is the lowest since Q2 2019, but pirates continue to target all vessel types throughout the region. IMB warns that fishing vessels have been hijacked and later used as mother ships to target other merchant vessels.
“In early June, a bulk carrier was approached by a skiff with six pirates while transitioning through the region at around 210nm off the coast of Lagos. In early June, a bulk carrier was approached by a skiff with six pirates while transitioning through the region at around 210nm off the coast of Lagos.”
IMB Director, Michael Howlett, said that “whilst IMB welcomes reduced piracy and armed robbery activity in the Gulf of Guinea, the risk to seafarers still remains. By reporting all incidents to the Regional Authorities and IMB PRC, seafarers can maintain pressure against pirates. Bringing together maritime response authorities through initiatives – like Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project and Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum – will continue and strengthen knowledge sharing channels and reduce risk to seafarers in the region.”
Specifically, the report noted that while 33 incidents of piracy were reported in the last quarter of 2020, six cases were reported in the second quarter of 2021. The IMB report also noted that the number of kidnapped crew in the region also declined from 50 in the last quarter of 2020 to 10 in the second quarter of 2021.
While ascribing the low piracy in the region to the concerted efforts put in place by the GoG countries, the NIMASA DG called for a more holistic approach in quelling the incidences of piracy in the region’s coastal waters.
“Matters concerning maritime security are everybody’s business as no country has immunity against insecurity and piracy related offences. Crime is usually a step ahead of every organized society, hence the need to step up our game through continuous synergy and enhanced information sharing in the West and Central Africa sub-region,”Jamoh said.
He further observed that with consistent reduction of criminal cases in the region, Nigeria will be engaging the international maritime community in the near future with the intention of removing the War Risk Premium charged on vessels calling Nigerian ports.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on June 10, 2021 commissioned the Deep Blue Assets geared towards deterring all forms of illegalities on the nation’s territorial waters.
This was in addition to the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act signed into law on June 24, 2019 to prosecute and punish criminalities.
