A report by an advocacy group, Oceans Beyond Piracy OBP, shows that there was a 57 percent rise in the number of seafarers affected by piracy in West Africa in 2016 as contained in the report  “State of Maritime Piracy” released by OBP recently.

Last year’s rise in piracy and armed robbery at sea in West Africa saw a recorded 95 incidents overall, compared with 54 in 2015. That also led to a significant increase in the human cost, according to OBP, with 1,921 seafarers being affected compared with 1,225 in 2015.

What is more, there has been an increase in kidnap for ransom attacks, with 18 incidents recorded during which seafarers were kidnapped from merchant vessels. Several failed attacks were likely attempts to kidnap seafarers as well. All of these attacks could be traced back to groups operating from Nigeria, the report shows.

Namely, 96 seafarers were taken hostage, more than double when compared to 2015 when 44 seafarers were kidnapped for ransom.

“Almost two-thirds of all incidents recorded in 2016 were reported off Nigeria in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and territorial waters, and violent attacks in particular were concentrated almost exclusively in that area,” OBP said.

Even though security agencies in the region, particularly in Nigeria, continued to improve their capacities throughout 2016, limited maritime capacities remain a challenge for law enforcement agencies.

“The absence of robust legal frameworks, the insufficient effectiveness of domestic justice systems, and other factors inhibit the legal finish of prosecutions related to criminal activities at sea. This is emphasized by the fact that to date, there have been no successful prosecutions for maritime piracy in West Africa,” OBP said.

The program estimates that the economic cost of the piracy in the region for 2016 was USD 793.7 million, up from USD 719.6 million reported for 2015.

Observation

The OBP group notes that “The opportunity to commit acts of piracy continues to increase as vigilance by the shipping community decreases. This trend has been underlined by recent events and attacks in early 2017. Pirate gangs and kingpins have been involved in a diverse array of illicit maritime activities that have helped to fund piracy activities in 2017,”.

OBP adds that “The socio-political environment in Somalia (including lack of economic opportunity, lack of governance and lack of law enforcement capability) that initially allowed piracy to flourish remains largely unchanged, particularly in the traditional pirate safe havens.”