Nigeria and the Republic of Benin set up a joint naval operation code-named “Operation prosperity” to check-mate activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea waters
The recent upsurge in the activities of sea pirates on Nigerian waterways has been a source of concern to maritime navigation. Since May this year, there have been increasing reports of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and off the coast of West Africa. In reponse to this ugly development, the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, has rated the coastal parts bordering Lagos and the Bonny waters as one of the most piracy attack-prone areas of the world. According to the IMB reports, Nigeria and Benin Republic have recorded more than 22 incidences of piracy this year, the highest ever recorded on the West African coast.
The attacks have been aimed at oil tankers, cargo vessels, fishing trawlers, and speed boats conveying passengers from one destination to another. On October 30, suspected sea pirates were reported to have attacked speed boat passengers along Nembe waterways in Bayelsa State. The pirates attacked four of the speed passenger boats which were conveying traders to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State. Some of the passengers were ordered by the hoodlums to jump into the water after being dispossessed of their cash and other valuables. On July 24, M.V RBD ANEMA E CORE, an Italian-owned tanker with 108,958 dead weight, dwt, and 23 crew members on board was hijacked by sea pirates off the coast of Benin, just outside the Nigerian waters. The tanker was, however, released four days later. On July 16, it was also reported that AEGEAN STAR, another tanker, was also attacked and hijacked by sea pirates and later abandoned.
In the first week of November, gunmen boarded MT Halifax, an oil tanker, which anchored off the coast of Port Harcourt. The pirates hijacked the ship and sailed off into the waters of the Gulf of Guinea with the crew until the crude oil in the ship was offloaded.
Fishing trawler owners in the country have raised the alarm over the recurring hijack of fishing vessels within Nigerian waters by sea pirates. In most cases, fishing trawlers hijacked from fishermen are used to attack other vessels operating off the coast of other neighbouring West African countries.
According to John Overo, president, Nigeria Trawler Owners Association, NTOA, the sea pirates have forced fishermen on the Nigerian waterways to scale down their activities. He cited two recent cases of attacks on fishermen off the Nigerian coast on April 19, and August 1. According to him, the sea pirates struck off the Bonny Oil Terminal, assaulting seven vessels and subsequently taking them to an unknown destination. The seized fishing trawlers were later vandalised after removing its necessary parts.
Overo said the main interests of the sea pirates when they attack fishermen are the electronic gadgets in the fishing trawlers. “After hijacking a fishing trawler, the sea pirates will remove all the electronic gadgets on board, including the SSB Radio, VHF Radio, Radar and Echo Sounder. The pathetic thing is that the sea pirates will, after that, direct us to a section of the sea where they can attack oil tankers and other vessels using our fishing trawlers as platforms,” he said.
Reuben Okoro, an importer, told Newswatch that the activities of pirates could affect the Nigerian economy negatively if not properly checked. He said that lives and properties are being lost on daily basis, just as businesses are being truncated with delayed navigation of vessels as a result of the menace. Other effects of the piracy on the economy could be inflation on imported goods as a result of high insurance premium and freight on Nigeria bound cargoes because of the risk of navigation into Nigeria. According to Okoro, the incidence of sea pirates could negatively affect inflow of foreign direct investment to the country if the international community discovers that Nigeria cannot suppress the activities of these pirates.
In a bid to curtail the activities of sea pirates in Nigeria’s waterways, the Nigerian Navy has extended its operations beyond the nation’s waterways. In a joint patrol code-named ‘Operation Prosperity’ with the Republic of Benin, the joint naval operation would now ensure safety of users of the sea on both sides of the two countries.
The joint naval patrol came as a relief to a yearning for adequate security on the waterways of the Republic of Benin. Worried by the incessant attacks and the resultant effect on the economy of his country, Boni Yayi, president of Benin Republic, had visited France for support to curb sea piracy which was about to destroy international trade that contributes more than 40 percent of its total revenue.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is also pushing an enabling law for prosecuting offenders as the criminal code of Nigeria was inadequate to bring suspected pirates to justice. Mike Igbokwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, said that a bill had been presented before the National Assembly and that if it is successfully passed into law, would domesticate all international conventions on unlawful acts against safety of marine navigation and those that are related to piracy at sea as enacted by the United Nation, UN. He lamented that with the upsurge of criminal activities on the Nigerian waters, the country is now being rated like Somalia with regards to the incidence of pirates.
Nov272011