The latest figures from the International Maritime Bureau confirm the rising threat of piracy in Nigerian waters. In response, the navy is changing its strategy, a security analyst tells DW.
Image: DW/N. Tadegnon
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The International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center has once again identified Nigerian waters as being extremely dangerous.
According to figures available for the first three months of 2018, Nigeria alone recorded 22 incidents since the beginning of January. Of the 11 vessels fired upon worldwide, eight were off Nigeria — including a tanker more than 40 nautical miles off Brass, in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta, with a capacity of 300,000 metric tons.
In 2017, the IMB reported over 20 attacks on vessels in the same area.
Security analyst and head of the Beacon Consulting security risk management company in Nigeria, Kabeer Adamu, says monitoring by the IBM plays a major role in assessing the threat posed by piracy.
"If we do not get such organizations to speak out about such things, then unfortunately they go under the radar and they become bigger problems," Adamu told DW.
Adamu says the problem seriously impacts the use of the corridor in the Gulf of Guinea for trading purposes. There is also the issue of insurance — as a matter of necessity, ships must now insure their crews as well as the vessel, on top of additional high security costs.
Members of the Nigerian amphibious army during a joint military exercise named "African Winds" which aims to improve the response of the Nigerian navy to criminal activities at seaImage: AFP/Getty Images
Nigeria's navy rethinks strategic response
According to the IMB, pirates in the Gulf of Guinea target all kinds of vessels. Crews from fishing and refrigerated cargo vessels, or even oil tankers, have been taken hostage or kidnapped. The bureau says it is working with national and regional authorities in the Gulf to provide support to ships and coordinate anti-piracy measures.
"I am aware that it has carried out no less than four operations targeting specific challenges in the region; some of them internal to Nigeria, some of them affecting the entire Gulf of Guinea," he told DW.
"I know it has also created check points, so any ship leaving Nigeria is checked, and its contents, to ensure that it has followed whatever regulatory procedures are in place."
Patrol boats off the coast of Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta's oil-rich regionImage: DW/B. Muhammad
Unemployment driving piracy in the Niger Delta
A former pirate in the Gulf region told DW that attacks are usually carried out for monetary gain.
"Sometimes we hijack to get money and ransoms. It depends on the ship. We can even get [anything between] 200 million Naira ($555,000, €430,330) and 900 million Naira."
The special advisor on media and publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, attributes the rise in attacks in the Niger Delta region to a lack of jobs.
"When these people see that there is nothing on the ground for them to benefit from… then they go to any means and disturb the economic activities that bring money into the nation," he said.
DW's correspondent attempted to contact Nigerian navy public relations officials for more details; however, they refused to comment without clearance from top authorities.
Pirate attacks cross Africa
Attacks on ships by pirates off the Horn of Africa have been declining since security in the region's waters has increased. But now the problem is on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea.
Image: Getty Images
An intercontinental problem
Attacks on ships by pirates off the Horn of Africa have been declining since Operation Atalanta, a European mission to secure the region's water for shipping, got underway in 2008. But now the problem is on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea.
Image: AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh
Piracy spreads west
The International Maritime Bureau in London, which monitors pirate activities, has reported at least 10 incidents in the Gulf of Aden and at least 28 in the Gulf of Guinea in 2013. The number of attacks on the Horn of Africa has been falling steadily.
Environmental beginnings
Failed governance in Somalia led to overfishing of its coastline by other countries in the early 1990s. Toxic waste was subsequently dumped in its waters, crippling the local fishing industry. The combination of factors caused some Somalis to resort to piracy, while others later determined it was a good way to make money. Piracy surged in Somali waters in the late 2000s.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Crackdown shows results
Pirate attacks along the Horn of Africa have decreased since the international naval presence there was bolstered. In 2012, 35 ships were attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, compared with 163 in 2009. In former piracy hotspots, locals are more concerned about fishing than capturing cargo ships.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
On trial in foreign courts
Those captured and accused of piracy can face trial far from their home countries. Where they end up depends on who catches them or the ship they attacked. In 2012, for example, 10 Somalis were sentenced to jail by a Hamburg court for attacking a German-flagged ship. The UN and EU are backing efforts to improve the judicial systems closer to where pirates operate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Trend toward more violence
West African pirates' methods can be more violent than those off the Horn of Africa. While Somali pirates know they will forfeit ransom if their hostages come to harm, pirates in the west are mainly interested in the oil or valuable cargo on board and less concerned about the people. Their hijacking methods are similar - approaching large vessels out at sea in small craft.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Haves and have-nots
In the West, Nigeria has been exporting oil for the past 20 years, but most of its people have not benefited from the extensive revenues. Almost two-thirds of Nigeria's population lives below the poverty line. To those without livelihoods, the risks of piracy can seem worth it. Political instability and social conflict have left room for pirate gangs to consolidate in the Gulf of Guinea.
Image: AP
No easy fix
While a heavy international military presence was effective in reducing piracy near Somalia, the same solution cannot easily be applied to the Gulf of Guinea. As those countries are sovereign states, their own authorities must work together to find a solution. Still, international interest in finding an answer is high, especially since the region supplies 20 percent of Europe's oil and gas.
Image: AP
Options for a better life
The key to reducing piracy is improving people's lives on land. The challenges are vast - from improving judicial systems to creating a sustainable economy to effectively managing the consequences of natural disasters - like here in a Somali food aid facility where families received rations during a severe drought in 2012.
