Gulf of Guinea records 5th pirates scare in six days

THE Gulf of Guinea (GoG) late on Monday recorded its fifth pirate attacks within six days as report released by Dryad Global, indicates that a Marshall Island flagged vessel, M/T LA BOHEME was recently at 2036 UTC, chased by 2 skiffs 95 nautical miles off Cotonou waters, Benin Republic.

The crew of the vessel rushed into the citadel whilst the vessel Master and bridge team carried out evasive manoeuvring. The skiffs later aborted the attack, while vessel and crew are reported safe.

In an advisory notice, Dryad Global stated that, “This is the 5th reported incident within the Gulf of Guinea within 6 days. Incidents remain focused on the waters south of Cotonou and those of the Southern Niger Delta however despite the prevalence of attacks within these areas, the threat remains fluid. It is apparent that two or more PAG’s are operating most likely with the intent of conducting kidnap for ransom operations.

“Whilst the pirates retain both the capability and intent to target larger vessels, it is highly likely that smaller vessels presenting more opportune targets will become more desirable as time goes on and the risk to the perpetrators increases.

“The perpetrators are likely to be aware that increased time at sea with both the Beninese and Nigerian Navies operating on high alert will significantly increase their own risk. As such it is highly likely that incidents will continue.

“All vessels operating within the area are encouraged to operate at the highest levels of vigilance and deploy full hardening / mitigation measures where possible. The risk profile for the wider Gulf of Guinea region at this time is CRITICAL with attacks assessed as highly likely / expected daily.”

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