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Pirate Attacks by Armed Gangs Surge Off Nigerian Coast

Pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa’s gulf of Guinea increasingly under threat from … Continue reading Pirate Attacks by Armed Gangs Surge Off Nigerian Coast


Pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa’s gulf of Guinea increasingly under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargoes and crews.

The International Maritime Bureau, (IMB) says pirates, often heavily armed and violent, are targeting vessels and their crews along the Nigerian coast, rivers, anchorages, ports and surrounding waters. The IMB adds that in many cases, the pirates ransack the vessels and steal the cargo, usually gas oil.

Data from the IMB, which coordinates the fight against maritime crime and malpractice, shows that Nigeria remains the main source of piracy in the region with 29 attacks on vessels recorded in the first nine months of 2013, up from 21 in the same period last year.

The IMB says in the first nine months of 2013 the gulf of guinea accounted for all crew kidnappings worldwide, 32 of them off Nigeria, and two off Togo. In such incidents, sailors are taken ashore and usually held for ransom.

Countries on the gulf of guinea, including Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, are major sources of oil and cocoa and increasingly metals for world markets.