Lagos records highest number of pirate attacks globally

IT IS NOT YET CHEERY NEWS for Nigeria, as latest piracy report showed that Lagos recorded the highest number for incidences for any port.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report said despite reporting more attacks than any other country, Nigeria still witnessed reduced incidence of piracy attacks in the third quarter (Q3) from 41 in 2018 to 29 in 2019.

IMB stated that: “The Gulf of Guinea remained a high risk area for piracy and armed robbery. The region accounts for 86 per cent of crew taken hostage, and nearly 82 per cent of crew kidnappings globally.

“Lagos recorded 11 incidents in 2019, the highest number for any port,” it stated.

The report showed that the first nine months saw fewer incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships than the corresponding period of 2018.

According to the report, 119 incidents were reported to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) in 2019, compared to 156 a year ago.

Overall, the 2019 incidents included 95 vessels boarded, 10 vessels fired upon, 10 attempted attacks, and four vessels hijacked. The number of crew taken hostage during the period also decreased from 112 in 2018 to 49 in 2019.

Director, ICC IMB, Pottengal Mukundan, said: “Although incidents are down, the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a concern for piracy and armed robbery-related activities with kidnappings of crew members increasing in both scale and frequency.”

The report added that Indonesia continued on a downward trend in overall piracy-related incidents with 20 actual and attempted attacks at Q3 end.