Seafarers under pirate attacks despite Covid-19 challenges

Peter Olaniyi |

Seafarers have come under blistering attacks from the dare-devil pirates as about 77 of these seamen have been taken hostage or kidnapped since January, 2029.

These attacks have added to their challenges of difficulty in crew change as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the International Maritime Bureau’s latest piracy report, violent attacks against ships and their crews have risen in 2020, with 77 seafarers kidnapped for ransom since January, in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa

In total, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded 98 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the first half of 2020, up from 78 in Q2 2019.The increasing threat of piracy adds to hardship already faced by hundreds of thousands of seafarers working beyond their contractual periods due to COVID-19 restrictions on crew rotations and international travel.

According to the IMB report “Violence against crews is a growing risk in a workforce already under immense pressure,” says IMB Director Michael Howlett.

“In the Gulf of Guinea, attackers armed with knives and guns now target crews on every type of vessel. Everyone’s vulnerable.”

So far this year, 49 crew have been kidnapped for ransom in the Gulf of Guinea and held captive on land for up to six weeks.

Rates are accelerating, with 32 crew kidnapped in the past three months alone. And they are happening further out to sea: two-thirds of the vessels were attacked on the high seas from around 20 to 130 nautical miles off the Gulf of Guinea coastline.

IMB PRC urges vessels to report any attacks promptly. It can then liaise with coastal agencies, international Navies and vessel operators, encouraging a quick response to deter piracy and armed robbery and improve the security of seafarers.

The Piracy Reporting Centre also broadcasts to shipping via GMDSS Safety Net Services and email alerts to Company Security Officers.

“We need to change the risk-to-reward ratio for pirates operating within the Gulf of Guinea. Without an appropriate and proportionate deterrent, pirates and robbers will get more ruthless and more ambitious, increasing the risk to seafarers,” says Howlett.

In one recent case commended by IMB, the Nigerian Navy responded promptly to a distress call from a fishing vessel boarded and hijacked by armed assailants in Ivory Coast waters. As a result, the crew were saved and the ship was prevented from being used as a possible mother vessel to carry out further attacks.

In another incident, a product tanker was attacked while underway around 127 nm off Bayelsa, Nigeria. Eight armed pirates kidnapped ten crew as well as stealing cash, personal valuables, and ship’s property.

IMB PRC contacted regional and international authorities, and a Nigerian Navy Security Vessel was dispatched.

A nearby sister vessel helped the four remaining crewmembers to sail the tanker to a safe port. The kidnapped crew were released three weeks later.