Piracy in Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Depending on which activities are considered "piracy," the frequency of piracy
in the Gulf of Guinea
varies. Attacks on merchant vessels
loaded with cargo
are relatively insignificant. Attacks are mainly directed at smaller ships shuttling employees and materials belonging to the oil companies
with any involvement in oil exploration in Nigeria. From January 1, 2007 to October 15, 2007, twenty-six pirate attacks were recorded. Piracy is especially common in the Niger Delta
region in the southeast of the country, the center of oil exploration. Kidnapping
and minor attacks in the region have been on the rise as a result of increasing unrest
between residents, the government and the oil exploring companies. Other factors include scarce law enforcement
and numerous waterways.
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
varies. Attacks on merchant vessels
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
loaded with cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
are relatively insignificant. Attacks are mainly directed at smaller ships shuttling employees and materials belonging to the oil companies
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
with any involvement in oil exploration in Nigeria. From January 1, 2007 to October 15, 2007, twenty-six pirate attacks were recorded. Piracy is especially common in the Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
region in the southeast of the country, the center of oil exploration. Kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and minor attacks in the region have been on the rise as a result of increasing unrest
Conflict in the Niger Delta
The current conflict in the Niger Delta arose in the early 1990s over tensions between the foreign oil corporations and a number of the Niger Delta's minority ethnic groups who felt they were being exploited, particularly the Ogoni and the Ijaw...
between residents, the government and the oil exploring companies. Other factors include scarce law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and numerous waterways.
Locations of attacks
Among the locations in Nigeria that have been subject to attacks by pirates are:- LagosLagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Lagos StateLagos StateLagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the... - Bonny IslandBonny IslandBonny Island is situated at the southern edge of Rivers State in the Niger Delta of Nigeria near Port Harcourt. In the early 1990s the Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with 3 international partners, Shell Gas BV., CLEAG Limited [ELF] and AGIP International BV. started the...
, Rivers StateRivers StateRivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
Attacks per year
- 2003 - 39
- First half of 2004
- 20072007 in piracySee also:2006 in piracy,other events of 2007,2008 in piracy and thelist of 'years of Piracy'.-----Events:* June 3 - Danica White owned by H. Folmer & Co. is hijacked off the Horn of Africa.-External links:**, The New York Times, 2007....
- 56 - 13 - 20082008 in piracySee also:2007 in piracy,other events of 2008,2009 in piracy and thelist of 'years of Piracy'.----There were 49 ships reported pirate attacks in the first three months of 2008, up from 41 in that period of 2007...
- 40
Chronology of selected attacks
- Jan. 4, 2009: Pirates hijacked the French ship Bourbon Leda with five Nigerians, two Ghanaians, one Cameroonian and one Indonesian on board. It was freed Jan. 7.
- Jan. 21: Gunmen attack the diesel tanker MT Meredith and kidnap a Romanian, who is released a day later.
- Jan. 23: Rebels steal some items from the ExxonExxonExxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
tanker MV Ngoni. They also seized a tugboat. - April 21: Rebels attacked the Turkish ship Ilena Mercan and kidnapped two crewmen.
- November 24: Pirates hijacked the Liberian-flagged Cancale Star off Benin and killed a Ukrainian officer before robbing the ship.
- December 1: The Ghanaian Navy intercepted the hijacked oil tanker African Prince a week after it had been taken. The pirates escaped; they had killed the ship's chef.
- March 13, 2010: A Chinese fishing vessel was hijacked off the Bakassi Peninsula, CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. Seven fishermen were abducted. The kidnappers demanded a ransom and later released the vessel and its passengers on March 18. - September 23: Three Frenchmen were kidnapped from a vessel belonging to the company Bourbon off the Nigerian coast.
- August 3, 2011: Two Panamanian-flagged tankers were attacked off BeninBeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
's coast but the ships were not taken. In the previous week, an Italian diesel tanker and a Swedish tanker were also attacked off Benin.