Rise in Gulf of Guinea pirates, but piracy rate declines in SE Asia: study
ANALYSIS by Dryad Maritime said that from January to March the Gulf of Guinea continues to blight an otherwise cautiously optimistic view about the piracy situation globally by the end of the first quarter.
But piracy hotspots remain. The activity of pirates operating with impunity in the face of overstretched Nigerian naval patrols has surged, the study shows.
Fourteen commercial vessels were attacked off Rivers and Bayelsa States, with eight raids classified as 'unsuccessful' due to evasive manoeuvring or the crew's evasion of capture by retreating to their ship's citadel, reported London's Tanker Operator.
In six of these incidents, 23 crew were kidnapped for ransom, which is proving to be a far more effective business plan for pirates than hijacking product tankers for cargo (instances of which have fallen dramatically in the last 18 months), despite one unsuccessful attempt which was thwarted by Nigerian forces in February, Dryad said.
In southeast Asia, this region had seen a 50 per cent drop in the first three months of the year in reported maritime crime compared to the same period in 2015. Similarly, the end of the first quarter represented the longest period without attacks on vessels underway or at anchor within the Singapore Strait since the same period in 2013.
Somali piracy continued to be broadly contained with no confirmed attacks on large vessels since January, 2014, despite some commentators' views that the pirates continue to 'probe.'
Dryad Maritime COO, Ian Millen, said: "There are some welcome causes for optimism in certain regions, notably the Indian Ocean where Somali piracy remains broadly contained, and in Southeast Asia, where we have seen a remarkable turnaround in a little over six months to deliver our lowest first quarter figures in a decade.
"In other areas, such as the Gulf of Guinea, the picture is a less positive one, with kidnap of crew for ransom rampant off the Niger Delta."
ANALYSIS by Dryad Maritime said that from January to March the Gulf of Guinea continues to blight an otherwise cautiously optimistic view about the piracy situation globally by the end of the first quarter.
But piracy hotspots remain. The activity of pirates operating with impunity in the face of overstretched Nigerian naval patrols has surged, the study shows.
Fourteen commercial vessels were attacked off Rivers and Bayelsa States, with eight raids classified as 'unsuccessful' due to evasive manoeuvring or the crew's evasion of capture by retreating to their ship's citadel, reported London's Tanker Operator.
In six of these incidents, 23 crew were kidnapped for ransom, which is proving to be a far more effective business plan for pirates than hijacking product tankers for cargo (instances of which have fallen dramatically in the last 18 months), despite one unsuccessful attempt which was thwarted by Nigerian forces in February, Dryad said.
In southeast Asia, this region had seen a 50 per cent drop in the first three months of the year in reported maritime crime compared to the same period in 2015. Similarly, the end of the first quarter represented the longest period without attacks on vessels underway or at anchor within the Singapore Strait since the same period in 2013.
Somali piracy continued to be broadly contained with no confirmed attacks on large vessels since January, 2014, despite some commentators' views that the pirates continue to 'probe.'
Dryad Maritime COO, Ian Millen, said: "There are some welcome causes for optimism in certain regions, notably the Indian Ocean where Somali piracy remains broadly contained, and in Southeast Asia, where we have seen a remarkable turnaround in a little over six months to deliver our lowest first quarter figures in a decade.
"In other areas, such as the Gulf of Guinea, the picture is a less positive one, with kidnap of crew for ransom rampant off the Niger Delta."