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Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is a problem that is growing rapidly, criminal and pirate gangs in the region appear to have followed the example set by Somali pirates as within the last year pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have moved from low level robberies to armed thefts and kidnapping. The severity of the issue is demonstrated by the attacks that have taken place so far this year, there has been 8 reported attacks already and most likely several more that are unreported. These 8 attacks have seen thefts, kidnappings and murders by pirates in their efforts, indicating the danger vessels now face when crossing this strip of water. The frequency and severity of the situation can be understood by studying some of the attacks that have taken place in 2012, often with incidents occurring a number of days apart. On February 13th 2012 an attack occurred on a cargo ship 125 miles from the coast of Nigeria, in this incidence armed pirates successfully boarded the vessel known as the Fourseas SW in an attempt to steal cargo and upon boarding the ship they killed both the captain and a chief engineer. This caused fear for those travelling through the Gulf as it demonstrated the ruthlessness of Gulf pirates, compared to their Somali counterparts. The attack demonstrated that pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are prepared to murder anyone who stands between them and the cargo, in order to escape with the valuable items aboard. Somali pirates often take hostages in order to collect ransoms, returning hostages largely unharmed and this attack by pirates in the Gulf demonstrated how it can be far more dangerous than Somali waters. Multiple attacks occurred within the same week, a cargo ship was attacked by 2 boats around 80 miles from Nigeria and pirates also hijacked a ship in Benin's nearby waters. The Togolese navy also successfully intervened to halt a pirate attack on an oil tanker, demonstrating that when detected early enough navy intervention can thwart the advances of armed pirates. This series of attacks highlighted the danger to boats travelling through the Gulf of Guinea and the need for anti piracy measures to be in place. The threat of piracy in the Gulf was demonstrated 2 weeks later when 2 separate pirate attacks occurred within the same number of days. On February 28th a gang of 8 armed pirates attacked a ship docked in a Nigerian port, it is likely that they were attempting to steal cargo however once they boarded the ship they escaped on a smaller boat with several crew members. The following day a second attack took place, armed pirates attempted to board a Nigerian owned oil tanker and opened fire. The crew were able to escape by employing security measures and increasing the speed of the vessel, however if they had not been trained in anti piracy measures it is likely that pirates would have successfully boarded the ship and kidnapped, murdered and stole whoever and whatever they wanted. This second attack took the total number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea to 8 in 2012, considering that these incidents occurred within the first 2 months on the year it is likely that the number of attacks will surpass the 30 experienced last year. The rapid rise in pirate operations in the Gulf is highlighted by the fact that in 2010 only 1 attack took place, increasing by 29 within a year. The key question is what has caused such a dramatic increase in the number of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea in a matter of years? Many believe that the similarities with Somalia and the success of Somali pirates in their criminal activity has given pirates in the Gulf a blueprint to follow. With the style of attacks growing ever closer to those of the Somali pirates it is likely that those in the Gulf are emulating their successful neighbour. Another catalyst for the increase has been oil prices, numerous oil tankers pass through the Gulf daily and with oil prices reaching a 9 month high it is no wonder that pirates have been attacking these vessels. With piracy attacks costing trade companies and governments around $2 billion dollar each year, there is a great deal of focus on how to combat the problem. The US government announced this week that it has invested $35 million in the training of naval personnel in Nigeria and other African nations. Whilst it was recently revealed that the Nigerian navy and 10 other nations had begun conducting anti piracy drills and training specifically for the Gulf of Guinea. These measures are developed for the reaction to pirate attacks, however they do not consider prevention which would involve eliminating piracy altogether by tackling the source of the problem. However with a lack of success in reducing poverty and piracy in Somalia many see investments made in improving the economy in the Gulf of Guinea a waste of resources.
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anti piracy, maritime security, the Gulf of Guinea,
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