What’s the cost of piracy in West African waters?

The Gulf of Guinea has turned into one of the world’s most notorious piracy hotspots. Plus, why’s the gold price rising?

A decade ago, no ship was safe off the coast of Somalia; men armed with machine guns in small boats would target vessels, including aid ships from the World Food Programme.

The menace of piracy continues to plague the region, impeding its security and economic development. It is also increasing in the Gulf of Guinea, an area that covers 11,000 kilometres of coastline from Angola to Senegal.

Fishing boats are sometimes targeted but most attacks are carried out on oil and gas tankers.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: aljazeera.com

EFCC laments incessant oil theft, pipeline vandalism

By Davies Iheamanchor

PORT HARCOURT: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has lamented the continuous activities of pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region.

The commission also disclosed that the commission has secured 14 convictions in its fight against corruption within few months, adding that the breakthrough was based on the level of investigation and professionalism been put at work by officials of the commission.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: vanguardngr.com

Shell calls for vigorous campaign against pipeline vandalism

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

WARRI: SHELL has enjoined stakeholders in the Niger Delta to vigorously campaign against attack on oil crude oil facilities, stressing that effort should be made to save the environment from impact of oil pollution.

General Manager External Relatons, Igo Weli made the appeal in Warri, Delta state at the media launch of the 2019 edition of Shell in Nigeria briefing notes, adding that the oil giant was committed to improving quality of life in its areas of operations.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: vanguardngr.com

Navy: Fighting crime within the waterways

Philip Nwosu

In 2015, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas launched the force’s strategic directive 2015-1, aimed at providing security in the maritime sector, ensure effective monitoring of the nation’s waterways and sustain its effort to maintain credible presence at sea.

After four years, the Nigerian Navy says it has been able to effectively police the nation’s waterways and ensure that the maritime sector is safe.

According to the Nigerian Navy, it has impounded and destroyed illegally refined crude oil valued at N8.4 billion between January and June 2019. The navy has destroyed and impounded 131,085.06 barrels of crude oil and about 29,612,202 litres of illegally refined products during its anti-crude oil theft campaign. It also destroyed 227 illegal refineries, 2,688 storage facilities, 364 wooden boats and impounded 11 barges and 32 vessels.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: sunnewsonline.com

Security Remains Major Challenge in Niger Delta – Oil Giant Shell

By Emmanuel Addeh

Yenagoa — Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has said security remains a major challenge occasioned by continuing crude oil theft and vandalism of oil and gas facilities in parts of the Niger Delta.

SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the media launch of the 2019 edition of the Shell in Nigeria Briefing Notes, an annual publication detailing the activities of the business interests of the global energy giant, noted that the illegal activities result in the loss of 11,000 Barrels Per Day of crude oil.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: allafrica.com

Navy deploys gunboats to Badagry creeks to curb smuggling, fuel theft

By Eugene Agha

Naval authority in charge of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Badagry, at the weekend, said it has intensified its surveillance and patrol around the Badagry creeks in other to cub the rising cases of smuggling of contraband into the country.

It said several gunboats to have been deployed to notorious areas in the creeks.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: dailytrust.com.ng

Kidnapping risk in Gulf of Guinea persists with 21 crew members kidnapped in Q1 2019

American, African & Chinese Navies Gathering at The International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference in Ghana This July

– International Maritime Bureau: 22 Piracy Attacks in Q1, 2019

Admiral James G. Foggo, III: A safe, stable, and secure Africa is in the interest of the global community, our shared goals of a secure, stable, and prosperous Africa benefits not only our African partners and the U.S., but also the international community

– Rear Admiral Koi Alexis Maomou: IMDEC is a great opportunity to give, receive and discover new technological and scientific inventions in the field of defence and maritime safety

20 captains, commodores, rear admirals, vice admirals, & admirals discussing illegal oil-bunkering, piracy, unregulated and unreported fishing, smuggling, human and drug trafficking, illegal bunkering and crude oil theft on the 24^th & 25^th of July in Accra

Dubai and Accra, 27 June 2019

In the first quarter of 2019, IMB reported 38 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea, representing 28 fewer incidents than the first quarter of 2018 (66). IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre detailed that 27 vessels were boarded; seven vessels were fired upon and four attempted attacks occurred in the first quarter of 2019. No vessels were reported as hijacked for the first time since the first quarter of 1994.

The Gulf of Guinea represented a high number of piracy and armed robbery attacks at sea, with 22 incidents reported in the first quarter of 2019. The region also accounted for all of the worldwide crew kidnappings as 21 crew members were kidnapped across five separate incidents. Incidents were reported in the coastal countries, of Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo in the first quarter of 2019.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: businessghana.com

Alleged Illegal Oil Bunkering: Navy Hands Over Five Suspects to EFCC

By Olawale Oyegbade

The Nigerian Navy, through the Nigerian Navy today handed over five suspects arrested for illegal oil bunkering to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The spokesperson of the commission, Tony Orilade confirmed to The Nigerian Voice that the suspects were handed over to EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office for further investigation and prosecution.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: thenigerianvoice.com

Piracy is back to infest West African waters, but what’s driving it?

ABHISHEK MISHRA

What makes the waters of the Gulf of Guinea vulnerable to piracy?

When it comes to discussing the concept of maritime security, the concept can be discussed in a variety of contexts. Broadly defined, maritime security concerns the protection of states’ land and maritime territories, and is affected by a broad range of illegal activities, including arms, drugs, and human trafficking, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and pollution at sea. But, such acts only tends to get media coverage when pirates are involved.

African maritime security is particularly severely affected by maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea. Maritime piracy is not a new phenomenon; it has existed for as long as people and commodities have traversed the oceans. Under article 101 of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, piracy is defined as:

“Any acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed on the high seas by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state for private ends.”

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: orfonline.org

How to end crude oil theft, by expert

by Precious Igbonwelundu

Nigeria has been advised to create alternative operation routes, secure the evacuation routes and expand export activities to the eastern side of the Niger Delta to contain crude oil theft.

The suggestions were given by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Umugini Pipeline Infrastructure Limited (UPIL), Blessing Ayemhere, on Tuesday during the unveiling of the company’s new logo and brand identity.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: thenationonlineng.net