Piracy on Nigerian waters: The truth

Globally, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, based in Singapore, recorded 201 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2018, up from 180 in 2017. The Gulf of Guinea remained increasingly dangerous for seafarers as reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled in 2018.

The expansion of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea poses a dire threat to local economies, potentially undermining what little stability currently exists in the region. Oil revenue, which many countries in the region rely upon, is seriously threatened by pirate activity; 7 per cent of Nigeria’s oil wealth is believed lost due to such criminality.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Navy recovers hijacked boats, rescues electoral officers

By Ada Wodu

The Nigerian Navy has recovered the two boats hijacked by militants on Saturday in the Bakassi area of Cross River State.

The boats were conveying the Independent National Electoral Commission’s ad hoc staff for election duty when they were accosted and abducted on the sea.

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Source: punchng.com

(ICYMI) Navy arrests six suspected oil thieves with 540,000 litres of diesel in Delta

By Matthew Omonigho

The Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Delta has arrested and handed over six suspected oil thieves with products suspected to be illegally-refined diesel, also known as AGO estimated at 540,000 litres, loaded in seven Cotonou boats in Delta State, DAILY POST can report.

The suspects, who were paraded at the naval base, were promptly handed over to the Operation Delta Safe, OPDS, by the Navy on Friday.

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Source: dailypost.ng

Pirate Attack – Gulf of Guinea (March 9th)

Underway OSV attacked by two speedboats at 1550 UTC in position 03:50N – 006:30E, approx 21nm SSE of Brass, Nigeria. Speedboats w/ 6 armed POB in each fired upon escorting security vessel. Unconfirmed report states several pirates and one security personnel killed. Pirates in second speedboat reportedly boarded OSV (status unverified) Awaiting further details. (Reported (MDAT/Source) 9 Mar. Via OCEANUSLive.org

Niger Delta: APC distances self from alleged killing of Navy personnel

The Bayelsa chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied allegations linking it to the killing of a Navy personnel during Saturday’s House of Assembly election in the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state had accused APC of complicity in the death of the officer, who was escorting a boat conveying election materials to Brass Local Government Area. The boat was said to have been attacked in the sea by suspected pirates who shot the naval personnel.

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Source: pulse.ng

Navy 2018 score card: 340 suspects arrested over alleged maritime offences

…277,040 crude oil, 23.1m litres AGO,1.2m DPK, lost to illegal refining …46 vessels arrested

By Evelyn Usman

One of the ills bedeviling the security space of the country’s coastline has been the scourge of maritime crimes such as piracy , sea robbery , crude oil theft , bunkering , insurgency and hostage taking.

Often times , Nigerians are daunted with news of criminal elements who hide under the veneer of these maritime crimes to inflict untold emotional and psychological trauma on innocent and defenseless sailors.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Attacks on trawlers have reduced – FG, Fishing trawlers

By Godwin Oritse

THE Nigerian Trawler Owners Association, NITOA, and the Federal Department of Fishery and Agriculture, have said that there has been a drastic reduction in pirates attacks against fishing trawlers.

Speaking to Vanguard Maritime Report, President of the association, Mr. Amire Akinbola, said although he could not make the figures available to our correspondent, the report of such attacks was very minimal last year.

Maritime Security News Note:

This may well be the case for Nigerian fishermen, but it’s a different story for crew on other vessels. On Feb. 24th, eight Chinese crew were reportedly kidnapped from fishing vessels off Cameroon.

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Source: vanguardngr.com