By Uzor Odigbo
Merchant vessels on Nigerian territorial waters have continued to suffer attacks from pirates similar to countries with Somalia’s unsafe Gulf of Arden.
In less than five weeks into 2019, it was revealed that not less than 20 incidents of piracy, sea robberies and other related maritime crimes like oil theft, unlawful bunkering and smuggling on water.
According to Protection Vessels International weekly piracy report, pirates Attacks have featured persistently.
Worse hit are foreign merchant vessels that have been attacked severally particularly in waters adjoining South South region of the country.
On January 24, a merchant vessel was attacked at 35.9 nautical miles off Brass in Bayelsa State at about 8:33pm
A group of five to eight armed pirates attacked an underway product tanker at 1935 hrs local time 35 nm south-southwest of Brass. The pirates opened fire on the tanker, who raised general alarm, mustered non-essential crew and conducted evasive manoeuvres.
Hardening measures resulted in pirates abandoning pursuit. There were no reports of casualties from the attack.
Gunmen on board a skiff fired on a merchant vessel approximately 37 nm south of Brass. Five to seven people were on board the skiff. The merchant vessel applied piracy-specific Best Management Practice (BMP5) safety measures and increased distance from the skiff. The vessel and crew were reported safe.
Pirate attacks off Nigeria are common and typically occur between 20 and 150 nautical miles off the coast, demonstrating pirates’ extensive geographical range of operation.
The Pirates are often armed and violent and there is precedent for attackers to persist when under attack from armed security teams until they have been injured or killed.
The location and timing of the incidents suggest that the attacks may have been perpetrated by the same group.
Despite reported efforts by Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy to reduce piracy rate, the country has been rated for several years to have highest number of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea.
It also tops the list of countries with unsafe waters in the West and Central African Regions. Back to back for about 4years, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) a global piracy watchdog under the International Chamber of Commerce have rated the country as worse hit by piracy menace.
Spokesperson for Nigerian Navy, Cdr. Suleiman Dahun has not been able to respond to inquiries about successes made in previous years and how the Navy intends to achieve safer and crime free navigation in 2019 and beyond.
Dahun informed that the comprehensive report is ready awaiting approval from the Chief of The Naval Staff (CNS) before release.