ICC Alerts to Piracy Spike off Coast of West Africa
A spike in piracy activity is occurring off the coast of West Africa, the International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center said Sept. 6. Since Aug. 18, three vessels have been hijacked in the region, attacks…
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that are notable because they have all involved tankers and the theft of cargoes, it said. In addition, the incidents have been characterized by the degree of violence used against crew, it said. The attacks follow a different modus operandi from those in other parts of the world, said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan. After the armed robberies, the stolen cargo is then placed on smaller vessels to be taken and sold illegally in the region, he said. Up to Sept. 5, there have been 40 reported attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Guinea, with 19 boarded and eight successfully hijacked, the IMB said. But many incidents in the area go unreported, possibly out of fear of reprisal or the feeling that nothing will change as a result, Mukundan said. He recommended that every attack be reported, and urged all vessels operating in the area to be vigilant.