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Dave Jenkins/Rex Features
A suspected pirate vessel is searched by a boarding team from a U.K. naval vessel 350 nautical miles from the Somali coast in November.
The number of pirate attacks in West African waters is increasing alarmingly, according to a new report.
The International Maritime Bureau’s global piracy report said there were 102 incidents worldwide in the first three months of 2012; four people were killed, 212 crew members were taken hostage and 11 vessels were hijacked.
A further 45 vessels were boarded, there were 32 attempted attacks and 14 vessels were fired on.
A statement emailed to journalists from the International Chamber of Commerce – the International Maritime Bureau is part of its anti-crime arm – said there had been a dangerous rise in the number of attacks off Nigeria and other West African countries.
“Nigerian piracy is increasing in incidence and extending in range,” Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Center, said in the statement.
“At least six of the 11 reported incidents in Nigeria occurred at distances greater than 70 nautical miles from the coast, which suggests that fishing vessels are being used as motherships to attack shipping further afield,” he added.
High levels of violence
The statement said there had been 10 reports of piracy from Nigeria in the first quarter of the year, the same as reported for the whole of 2011. A further attack in neighboring Benin was also attributed to Nigerian pirates.
It said two crew members were killed when their vessel was boarded 110 nautical miles off Nigeria.
However, Somalia continued to see the most incidents, with 43 attacks resulting in nine vessels being hijacked. This was down from the first quarter of 2011, when 97 incidents and 16 hijackings were reported.
Video: An intimate look at the search for pirates
“While the number of reported incidents in Nigeria is still less than Somalia, and hijacked vessels are under control of the pirates for days rather than months, the level of violence against crew is dangerously high,” Mukundan said.
The International Chamber of Commerce runs a global map of piracy attacks that is updated live.
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Ships travel through their waters all the time, and yet they don't stop to pay off the locals, so of course they are going to have to get out there, take over the ships, and demand payment. They can't expect to sit on the shore, and wait for the shipping companies to mail them a check. These people are trying to make a living too.
Territorial waters of most countries is 12 nautical miles and their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends out to 200 nautical miles (things like fishing, oil/gas exploration and drilling). Passage, or travel as you say, by ships going through these waters is free as long as they are just passing through. So why would they have to stop to pay off? No other country would do this. Right of passage is set forth in UNCLOS (law of the sea).
I guess the $647.7 million in foreign aid to Nigeria from the US isn't enough money.
Sean, I believe Chirs was being sarcastic. I doubt anyone sees the extortion of mariners passing by your coast as legitimate.
Indiana, I'm pretty sure no matter how much aid we send it won't be "enough". All that money goes to governments, and even if they could be trusted to get it right and feed everyone, it still doesn't pay for anyone's Iphone.
When are they going to start blowing these extremists out of the water, what a bunch of BS.
Captain Jack Sparrow would be jealous ....
Suggest that the pirates be made into instant organ donors... nice fresh supplies, plenty of organs and not too many complaints.
Nah, the incidence of HIV is too high in Africa, Larry.
Suggest that the pirates be made into instant organ donors... nice fresh supplies, plenty of organs and not too many complaints.
I think the sea-faring nations of the world should go into these Somali and Nigerian ports and wipe out these nests of vipors as it will only get worse. Also I believe the same sentence for piracy that applied back during the golden age of piracy should still apply. A quick trial and a quick hanging at the nearest port. Too bad pirates never made anyone walk the plank because that would be the perfect punishment for this crime.
#14, if you are not a doctor do not attempt diagnosis. If you are a doctor, your observation is wrong. I`m retired hospital, have seen anorexics, and she isn`t one. Just trained competitively lean.
What are you talking about?
Wrong thread, bywood...
Great. More business for guard companies to sell shipping companies.
Somalia is one thing, it's a failed state, but Nigeria can't keep its house in order either? They're taking cargo ships here, people. They can't be that hard to spot!
Nigeria is also a failed state, its government is even more corrupt than the U.S.
Pirate Ships should be fired upon and sunk. No mercy, no looking back. They made their bed let them die in it.
I don't know why they find this alarming. It was only a matter of time. Once countries started paying ransom to east African pirates it only common sense that dictates that the west Africans would pursue the same methods.
This should have been handled properly from the start with military force and it would have been nipped in the bud from the begining. Now it will require much more money to quill this type of action.
During WWII we armed merchant ships with deck guns and manned them with sailors. Perhaps we should start the practice again.
Any country that refuses to let legitimately armed ships into territorial waters will simple not receive the benefits of water borne transport. i.e. no food shipments or exports of products.
Didn't work then, wouldn't work now. It was a big drain on experienced naval resources with very little to show for it.
When you look at the universal map showing high jackings this year, it appears that ships with on board security don't get high jacked. Every ship should have .50 cal mounts on each side, the bow and fantail. That would keep the pirates from coming within a mile of a ship. Seems fairly simple. The pirates big weapon is an RPG that has less than a quarter mile range.
20 MM would be much better, the rounds are explosive.
The typical range of an RPG is approximately 900-1000 meters. That's more than a half a mile. Trying to hit a small fast moving craft with a .50 Cal from a moving ship from more than a half a mile out would be extremely difficult.
It would be far easier to allow the pirates to come along side the merchant ship and then ambush them with mini guns and flame throwers. More fun too.
Pirate BBQ, sounds like good eating for the fish.
Arm the vessals of course
When the dogs of WAR come home from the Middle East/ West Asia conflict we can give them jobs on the high seas as security teams.
Africa is were man began-they have never civilized themselves and are violent race of people just as young black males in America-that just what I see and feel.