Piracy reports for Gulf of Guinea, Dec 2015 – Jan 2016

NIGERIA: On 12 January, a merchant ship in the Lagos Secure Anchorage Area reported to local authorities of being followed by five men in a speedboat. The merchant ship soon after reported that they had seen two men in the rudder trunk and the unknown men had reportedly left the ship soon after their sighting. The ship was instructed to drop anchor and await further inspection.

CONGO: On 4 January, three robbers boarded an anchored vessel near position 04:47 S – 011:52 E, Pointe Noire Anchorage. Duty crewmen spotted the robbers on deck and raised the alarm. The robbers jumped overboard and escaped in their rowboat.

NIGERIA: On 27 December 2015, an unknown number of pirates attacked an anchored tanker near position 05:35 N – 005:00 E, approximately 10 nm west of Warri. The attack was reportedly repelled by an onboard detachment of Nigerian Navy personnel.

NIGERIA: On 24 December, seven gunmen in a speedboat attacked a passenger boat in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. One person was killed and six others injured.

NIGERIA: On 21 December, pirates attacked three passenger boats in the Kula waterways in the Akuku-Toru local government area of Rivers State. Several dozen people are believed to have perished in the attack as many could not swim when the pirates forced them to jump in the river before stealing belongings.

DR CONGO: On 16 December, two robbers armed with knives in a boat boarded an anchored general cargo ship near position 05:50 S – 013:25 E, Matadi Anchorage. Five accomplices waited in the boat. The robbers were spotted by duty crewmen and the robbers fled. Nothing stolen. Incident reported to local authorities through
the local agents.

Source: Office of Naval Intelligence, Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report, 14 January 2016.

Summary of Gulf of Guinea piracy events 2011-2015

Summary of Gulf of Guinea piracy events to 7/22/2015.

2011
Hijacked: 19
Boarding: 41
Fired Upon/Attempted Boarding: 26
Kidnapping: 18
Total: 104

2012
Hijacked: 14
Boarding: 31
Fired Upon/Attempted Boarding: 30
Kidnapping: 14
Total: 89

2013
Hijacked: 11
Boarding: 26
Fired Upon/Attempted Boarding: 43
Kidnapping: 32
Total: 112

2014
Hijacked: 9
Boarding: 33
Fired Upon/Attempted Boarding: 31
Kidnapping: 26
Total: 99

2015 (to 7/22)
Hijacked: 2
Boarding: 24
Fired Upon/Attempted Boarding: 16
Kidnapping: 18
Total: 60

Source: Office of Naval Intelligence.

Piracy & Maritime Security Incidents to 8th January 2014

It appears to be quiet off the coast of East Africa at the beginning of 2014, but not so much in Indonesia nor the West African littoral.

On 2 January, five pirates boarded a drifting gas carrier 55-nm west of Corsico in the Gulf of Guinea. The crew raised the alarm and the pirates fled. The master reported that there were several small craft without AIS in the vicinity.

On 3 January, pirates boarded the general cargo vessel San Miguel and kidnapped 3 crew members 20-miles NW of Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

On 3 January, armed robbers boarded an anchored chemical tanker in Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia while it was conducting loading operations. They took hostage the duty crewman then broke into the forecastle store room and stole ship’s property and escaped.

On 4-5 January, the Ukrainian captain and Greek engineer who were kidnapped by Nigerian pirates from the tanker Althea on 16 December 2013 were released.

On 6 January, robbers boarded an anchored chemical tanker in Belawan Outer Anchorage, Indonesia. The crew spotted the robbers and raised the alarm, whereupon the robbers fled in their small craft without stealing anything. The master alerted other ships in the vicinity via bridge-to-bridge radio.

On 7 January, armed robbers boarded a berthed container ship off Doula Port, Cameroon. The duty crewman noticed suspicious movements at the forecastle & informed the duty officer who raised the alarm. Seeing the crew response, the robbers escaped in a small craft.

On 7 January, robbers boarded an anchored chemical tanker in Gresik Inner Anchorage, Indonesia. They threatened the duty watch keeper & stole ship’s stores. The robbers fled when other crew members raised the alarm.

On 8 January, robbers boarded a berthed general cargo ship at Monrovia Port, Liberia. After hearing some noise, the duty watchman noticed a robber throwing ship’s properties overboard. Upon seeing the crew response, the robber jumped overboard and escaped. The master informed local authorities who sent a port security patrol to investigate. Port security personnel helped recover some of the stolen ship’s property that was adrift near the stern of the ship.

Source: United States Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence.

Ghana steps up fight against West African piracy

Good. Glad its being taken seriously. Yet more could undoubtedly be done. Particularly support from allied nations. The Ghana Navy (GN) could probably have used one of those Type 22 frigates being sent to scrap by the British government or one of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates being decommissioned by the US government. The allied nations can provide their own ships for standing counter-piracy deployments along the West African littoral, as they currently do for the East African & Persian Gulf area of operations, but to truly mitigate the regional piracy threat presented in the Gulf of Guinea the allied nations must identify, support and strengthen the principaux interlocuteurs such as Ghana and Nigeria. This should be done with ship donations, maritime security training, logistical support and direct military assistance (standing deployments, but not as large, given that the regional forces will be strengthened). OK. Rant over.

Ghana to set up special naval units, maritime crime courts to counter piracy

The Ghanaian Navy says it is setting up special boat units to deal with maritime security challenges like piracy in order to secure the country’s new-found offshore oil and gas resources.

The establishment of the special units comes after Ghana announced plans to set up the first African special courts to deal with maritime crimes, as piracy takes root in the West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea. Ghana Navy Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Geoffery Biekro said apart from protecting maritime boundaries, offshore oil rigs and pipeline infrastructure, the special boats units will also fight trans-national crimes such as smuggling, illegal fishing, weapons and drug trafficking.

Biekro said foreign partners will fund the training and equipment needs for the special naval units. He added that the Ghanaian Navy is already over-stretched in dealing with national security threats, threats to economic infrastructure and even more serious threats to the security of its newly-found offshore hydrocarbon wealth.

“We also have transnational crimes that are posing serious national security threats to the country. Apart from the economic losses, there are also human security losses, with a reduction in protein intake and impoverishing of fishing communities,” Biekro said.

He said the failure of the navy to exercise full control of the country’s maritime domain has directly led to the inability to exploit fishery resources, forcing the government to import fish annually.

Biekro said oil theft remains the major economic threat to Ghana’s maritime and national economic security due to the advent of criminal gangs which connive with local officials to steal crude oil from offshore installations as evidenced by an increase in the number of foreign tankers found stealing crude oil from offshore facilities in the country’s prestigious Salt Pond and Jubilee oil fields.

Among other national maritime security initiatives, the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) in August commissioned a Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMIS) to improve safety and security in the country’s waters. The VTMIS is a state-of-the-art monitoring and surveillance electronic system designed to ensure effective management of maritime boundaries, the protection of maritime resources, offshore oil resources and pipeline infrastructure.

The system can track vessels 1,000 nautical miles from the country’s shores and is operated from four control centres, eight remote sensor sites along the coast and three remote base stations on Lake Volta.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian High Court Chief Justice Georgina Woods says the country will set up special courts to deal specifically with maritime crimes before the end of this year. “Off shore discovery and exploitation of Ghana’s oil and gas resources coupled with significant increase in international trade has brought to the fore the need for the establishment of maritime courts to adjudicate the many maritime cases that will come before the courts. I have therefore decided to set up maritime courts in Accra, Tema and Takoradi,” Woods said.

He said through collaborations with the Ghana Shippers Authority, three judges drawn from the High Court will be sponsored to undertake post-graduate studies with specialisation in maritime law in preparation for deployment to the three new special courts.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32332:ghana-to-set-up-special-naval-units-maritime-crime-courts-to-counter-piracy&catid=108:Maritime%20Security&Itemid=233#!

Pirates attack US-flagged ship in Gulf of Guinea, kidnap crew members

The C-Retriever is a US-flagged offshore supply vessel owned & operated by Edison Chouest Offshore. Reports confirm that the vessel has been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and that the captain and the chief engineer have been kidnapped.

NIGERIA: During the early hours of 23 October, pirates attacked the U.S.-flagged offshore supply vessel C RETRIEVER near Brass and kidnapped the captain and chief engineer, both U.S. citizens.

Source: US Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence, Maritime OPINTEL Report.

C-Retriever (c. 2008)

Oh, foolish pirates! A US-flagged vessel? I think we all know how this ends.

Maritime security report 27 Aug – 4 Sep

BANGLADESH: On 27 August, the anchored Marshall Islands-flagged container ship NADIR was boarded while at position 22:11N -091:42E, Chittagong Anchorage. Approximately 16 robbers in two boats approached the ship. Five robbers armed with long knives boarded the ship and began to lower ship’s stores into their boats. Duty officer noticed the robbers, raised the alarm and crew mustered. Seeing crew alertness the robbers escaped with stolen ship stores. Incident reported to the coast guard.

VIETNAM: On 28 August, the anchored Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier was boarded while at position 20:56N –107:19E, Cam Pha Anchorage. Six robbers boarded the ship via the anchor chain and hawse pipe by removing the cover and anchor lashing. They cut the padlock to the forecastle store room and stole ship’s properties. Duty officer noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped with stolen ship stores. Incident reported to the local police who boarded the ship for investigation.

VIETNAM: On 3 September, an anchored chemical tanker was boarded at 10:13 N–107:02 E, at the Vung Tau Anchorage. Six robbers disguised as fishermen boarded a chemical tanker at anchor. Duty crewman noticed the robbers and informed the bridge. The alarm was raised and the crew moved forward. Upon seeing the alert crew, the robbers jumped overboard and escaped with ship’s stores. All crew safe.

NIGERIA: On 4 September, an underway chemical tanker was fired upon at position 04:11N – 005:34E, 20 nm south of Pennington Oil Terminal. A speed boat approached the chemical tanker with intent to board. The duty officer raised the alarm, alerted the crew and made evasive maneuvers to prevent the boarding. The pirates tried to board the vessel using hooks attached to a rope. The on board security team fired warning shots at the boat and the pirates retaliated by returning fire. Facing resistance, the pirates aborted the attempt to board the vessel and moved away from the scene

Source: US Navy Office of Naval Intelligence.

Nigerian Navy battles pirates in Gulf of Guinea

The Nigerian Navy has killed 12 pirates in a 30-minute gun battle in the Gulf of Guinea. BZ to the Nigerians for what they do. But we can (and should!) do more to help them.

The Nigerian Navy currently boasts a 1970s German frigate, a 1960s US Coast Guard cutter rebadged as frigate, and four 1960s/70s Vosper Thronycroft corvettes. A couple of decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates under the Foreign Assistance Act wouldn’t go amiss. Nor would paid off Type 22 frigates that were sold at a pittance for scrap. It is well-and-good for the US, UK, EU and allied partners to provide standing naval forces in the fight against piracy, but regional navies must be brought up to strength with adequate equipment and training in order to truly defeat the scourge.

Nigerian navy says kills 12 pirates in gun battle

(Reuters) – The Nigerian navy killed 12 pirates in a gun battle as they tried to flee from a fuel tanker they hijacked off the coast of the Gulf of Guinea last week, the navy said on Monday.

Pirates took control of the St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged MT Notre on August 15, but an emergency signal was sent to the navy and several gunships were deployed to recover the vessel, Navy Flag Officer Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Hassan told reporters.

Navy gunships caught up with the vessel and forced it into Nigerian waters but while negotiating the ship’s release, the pirates tried to escape on a speed boat. The navy boats pursued but were fired upon by the hijackers.

“The gun battle lasted for about 30 minutes after which they were overpowered. On taking over the speed boat, four of the militants were alive and unhurt while the rest of the pirates were killed in the crossfire,” Sidi-Ali Hussan said.

The crew were all rescued unharmed from the MT Notre, which was carrying 17,000 metric tons of gasoline, he said.

Pirate attacks off West Africa’s mineral-rich coastline have almost doubled from last year and threaten to jeopardize the shipping of commodities from the region. They have already jacked up insurance costs.

It is rare for the navy to engage pirates in gun battles offshore, as vessels are usually released after being robbed of cargo and valuables. Sometimes crew are kidnapped for ransom.

(Reporting by Tife Owolabi; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/19/us-nigeria-piracy-idUSBRE97I0PY20130819

Map of most dangerous areas in the world due to pirate attacks

Map by Control Risks.

Pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, July 2013

Source: Office of Naval Intelligence (unclassified)

19 July: The Vanuatu-flagged offshore supply vessel C Viking (2197 GT) was boarded at the Usari Oil Field off the coast of Nigeria. Pirates looted the vessel and destroyed equipment on the bridge before disembarking.

18 July: The United States-flagged bulk carrier Liberty Grace (28836 GT) experienced an attempted boarding attempt in the Lome anchorage area off the coast of Togo. The crew of the bulk carrier used a spotlight, fire hoses and flares to repel the boarding attempt. A patrol boat from the Togo Navy arrived after the incident.

16 July: The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Ocean Centurion (23328 GT) was hijacked at 05:29N – 001:38 E, approximately 46nm southeast of Lome, Togo. Armed pirates in 2 speed boats approached, boarded and hijacked the tanker while underway. They took hostage all the crew members, looted personal belongings, and ordered the Master to steer towards the Togo/Benin border. The pirates disembarked and escaped via speedboat, 12nm from the coastline. Two crew members were injured during the hijacking and were transferred ashore for medical treatment. A patrol boat from the Togo Navy arrived after the incident.

15 July: The Malta-flagged chemical tanker Cotton (23248 GT) was hijacked at 00:26 S – 008:51 E, approximately 13nm off Port Gentil, Gabon while underway. Approximately 25 gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles hijacked the tanker and took its crew hostage. The vessel was released, with all crew safe, on 22 July.

14 July: The Gabon-flagged landing craft Renovation (940 GT) was boarded while underway off Port Gentil, Gabon. Approximately 20 gunmen boarded the landing craft, looted the crew’s personal possessions and escaped.

10 July: An anchored chemical tanker experienced a suspicious approach at 06:17 N, – 003:21 E, approximately 5.4nm southwest of Fairway Buoy, Lagos. The tanker’s armed security team fired one warning shot when the small boat came within 50m of the vessel, causing the boat to depart the area.

7 July: Gunmen boarded a supply vessel at 04:24 N – 007:03 E, in the vicinity of the New Calabar River, Nigeria while the vessel was underway. The captain, chief engineer and a deckhand were reported to have been taken hostage.

5 July: An anchored bulk carrier was boarded at 06:26 N – 003:23 E at Lagos, Nigeria. Armed men were spotted by the boatswain who alerted the duty officer. The boatswain was wounded by gunfire before other crew members came to his assistance. The gunmen escaped by speedboat. The injured crew member was hospitalized for treatment.

Nigerian pirates release crew of hijacked tanker in Gulf of Guinea

Some good news on the MT Cotton, the Maltese-flagged tanker which was hijacked last week off the coast of Gabon. The crew of 24 has been released. For this, should all be thankful.

However, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea remains an international menace and it is incumbent upon the international community (US, EU, China, Russia… I’m looking at you!) to implement the same counter-piracy measures for West African littoral that have been so successful along the East Africa coast.

Nigerian pirates release 24 crew members, but ransack tanker

MT Cotton.

Twenty-four Indian crew members of MT Cotton, a tanker, which was hijacked by Nigerian pirates off the coast of Gabon, Africa, last week, were released on Monday. The crew, which includes sailors from Mumbai, is expected to reach India in two weeks’ time.

Director-General of Shipping, Gautam Chatterjee said, “MT Cotton was released at 8.30 am IST on Monday. All crew members are safe and no one is in need of immediate medical attention. However, pirates have looted the crew. Right from valuables to food, medicines, even their clothes and footwear were not spared. The pirates also escaped with 3,100 metric tonnes of crude fuel of the total 10,000 metric tonnes in the ship. Presently, the vessel has been instructed by the owners to sail westwards and away from the coast.”

The shipping ministry is unaware of whether a ransom was paid for the crew’s release. “We were really worried since all crew members were Indians. The ship was captained by Shishir Wahi,” said a ministry official.

The tanker – mainly used for ferrying crude petroleum, is owned by a Turkish company, ‘Genel’, and the crew was manned by a company called ‘V Ships’. All crew members have spoken to their respective families, the official said, adding that the sailors were still on the vessel.

The partially-loaded tanker – with a capacity of 23,248 tonnes – was boarded by pirates while awaiting its turn to berth at Gabon’s Gentil Port for the loading of cargo on July 15. Worried officials of the shipping ministry had been trying to establish contact with the tanker for the past three days, according to the vessel operator.

Crew of 2 ships in custody of somali pirates for 2 years

Meanwhile, the shipping ministry said thatseven crew members of the ship Asphalt Venture and a member of the ship Albido continue to be in the custody of Somalian pirates for the past two years. Shipping ministry sources said that a ransom of $3 million had been sought for the release of the crew of Asphalt Venture, while the pirates had demanded $ 0.5 million for the release of the crew member from Albido.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/crime/Nigerian-pirates-release-24-crew-members-but-ransack-tanker/articleshow/21258360.cms