West Africa lacks naval forces and shipboard guards to stop piracy
THE Gulf of Guinea, the latest piracy hotspot, is unable to reduce highly violent attacks of West African pirates through deployment of international navies and private armed guards used against Somali pirates operating in the Indian Ocean.
According to Barry Roche chief executive officer of maritime security service, Protection Group International, the West African region's piracy is as different in both geography and politics as the Iraq conflict and the Afghanistan conflict.
As West Africa accounts for 10 per cent of the world's crude oil shipped during 2012, piracy will be difficult to shift and threat to merchant ship crews grow. The Gulf of Guinea accounted for 30 crew kidnapped during the first half 2013 compared to three seized worldwide in same six months of last year, said IMB.
THE Gulf of Guinea, the latest piracy hotspot, is unable to reduce highly violent attacks of West African pirates through deployment of international navies and private armed guards used against Somali pirates operating in the Indian Ocean.
According to Barry Roche chief executive officer of maritime security service, Protection Group International, the West African region's piracy is as different in both geography and politics as the Iraq conflict and the Afghanistan conflict.
As West Africa accounts for 10 per cent of the world's crude oil shipped during 2012, piracy will be difficult to shift and threat to merchant ship crews grow. The Gulf of Guinea accounted for 30 crew kidnapped during the first half 2013 compared to three seized worldwide in same six months of last year, said IMB.