Piracy: How Nigerian waters fared in 2020

THE New Year celebration started on a sour note in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) when dare-devil pirates killed four armed guards and kidnapped two Russians and one Indian aboard a Nigerian-flagged Hopper dredger, Ambika on January 2, 2020. The 2,153 Gross Tonnage Ambika was attacked as she was navigating three nautical miles from the mouth of the Ramos River which is just nine nautical miles east of the Forcados Terminal in Nigerian waters.

Deep Blue Project

With insecurity rearing its ugly head very early in the year on Nigeria’s waterways, the Federal Government, in February, at a press briefing, announced  that it will soon be deploying its integrated maritime security infrastructure.

The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in company of heads of maritime agencies, while briefing the media ahead of the launch of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise called the Deep Blue Project, explained the government’s decision to end the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) project, a private security initiative run outside the country’s port system. He insisted that all ships coming into the country must anchor at the national ports under the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

During the media briefing, the government delegation revealed that 80 per cent of the assets required for the takeoff of the total spectrum maritime security architecture would be deployed by June 2020.

Giving a breakdown of the assets being installed under the Deep Blue Project, the government delegation revealed that a good number of the assets had arrived the country, including six interceptor boats, a special mission vessel, six armoured aircrafts; while a first special mission aircraft and the first unmanned aerial vehicle is being expected in the country before the end of the first quarter of the year.

However, arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and its restriction meant that the Deep Blue Project did not take off in 2020 as earlier projected by the Federal Government.

Piracy onslaught

With the Deep Blue Project yet to take-off, Dryad Global revealed that piracy onslaught increased within the GoG, and on February 14, the Container vessel MAERSK TEMA while underway from Pointe Noire to Lagos, was attacked 90 nautical miles North West Sao Tome when two unknown men boarded the vessel and two skiffs were seen in the vicinity of the attack. The vessel was left drifting 200 nautical miles South West Bonny and 40 nautical miles Southeast of the Eastern fringe of the Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Also, on February 20, leading Italian maritime security firm, Praesidium International reported that the tanker, ALPINE PENELOPE was attacked 76 nautical miles South West Cotonou, whilst in transit towards Lagos, resulting in the kidnap of nine personnel.

Change of Guard

With insecurity threatening to get out of control in the GoG, the Federal Government on March 10, effected a change of guard at Nigeria’s apex maritime agency, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), with Bashir Yusuf Jamoh taking over the reins from Dakuku Adol Peterside.

The new NIMASA helmsman had barely settled down to work when he got a quick reminder of the task ahead of him with the attack of the Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire in the GoG.

Pirates arrested

With various attacks and suspicious approaches occurring within the GoG, NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy intensified their collaboration, and on April 19, the two agencies held a handing over of arrested pirates in full public glare for the very first time in history.

In a statement signed by NIMASA Head of Corporate Communication, Philip Kyanet, the agency revealed that 10 pirates who had on May 15 attacked and boarded a Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire and directed her towards Nigerian waters, were arrested by the Nigerian Navy, which dispatched a ship to intercept the vessel after it got an alert.

In the words of the NIMASA DG, Bashir Jamoh, “The prosecution of the pirates would be the first trial of bandits arrested in international waters under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act signed into law in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have a distinct antipiracy legislation.“

Jamoh attributed the successful operation that led to the arrest of the pirates and rescue of the ship and its crew to collaboration between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. He said NIMASA would continue to work with relevant security agencies in order to achieve its goal of eradicating piracy and all forms of illegality on the Nigerian waters.

Jamoh, who was represented by the NIMASA’s Head of Legal Services, Mr. Victor Egejuru, assured that with the anti-piracy law, there was ample legal framework to prosecute pirates and other perpetrators of maritime offences in the country’s waters.

Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima, who gave details of the naval operation, said the vessel had 18 crew members comprising Chinese, Ghanaians and Ivorians.

Shettima said, “On interception of the vessel about 140 nautical miles south of Lagos Fairway Buoy, the pirates had refused to comply with the orders of the Navy ship, hence the Nigerian Navy had to conduct an opposed boarding of the vessel. All ship crew were safely rescued, while the 10 pirates were also arrested.”

International commendation

With the unprecedented arrest and expected trial of pirates, the Bashir Jamoh led NIMASA management started receiving international commendations and many lauded  Nigeria in its fight against maritime crimes.

On June 9, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the specialised shipping regulatory agency of the United Nations, delivered a glowing appraisal of Nigeria’s effort to stem piracy in its waters and the GoG, commending the country for sending a “strong and valuable message” to the global community.

IMO, in a letter addressed to the new Director-General of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, commended him for his brave and dynamic approach to maritime security. The letter which was signed by the IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, lauded the recent arrests and first-time prosecution of suspected pirates under the country’s new antipiracy law.

Lim said he was impressed by Nigeria’s efforts to address maritime security threats in the region, adding that Jamoh’s leadership and proactive response to maritime security issues were laudable.

“I would also like to reiterate my congratulations to the Nigerian Navy on the successful capture and arrest of pirates from the fishing trawler Hailufeng II, and more recently on the rescue of the crew members of the containership Tommi Ritscher,” Lim stated in the letter.

Resurgence of piracy

Despite the successes against piracy by the Bashir Jamoh-led NIMASA management, piracy resumed fully in the GoG after the arrest of the 10 pirates, and on June 24, the fishing vessel PANOFI FRONTIER was attacked by several gunmen on board one speed boat at 61 nautical miles South of Cotonou Port, and six crew of the vessel believed to be five Koreans and one Ghanaian were kidnapped, according to Praesidium International.

Also, on July 2, Dryad Global revealed that the FPSO SENDJE BERGE was attacked by unknown armed men at 30 nautical miles South West Bonny Island, with the attackers taking away nine personnel, all Nigerian nationals, from the vessel.

With piracy attacks and approaches increasing all through till the third quarter of 2020, the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), in an assessment report released in early September, stated that an armed group from Rivers State, Nigeria, are planning a piracy attack against vessels in area D (especially Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea). The MDAT-GoG has been a cooperation centre between the Royal Navy (UKMTO) and the French Navy (MICA-Centre) since 2016.

With piracy not subsiding in the last quarter of 2020, maritime experts have called on the Federal Government to deploy the Deep Blue project as the New Year unfolds.

In the words of a maritime security expert, Leke Oyewole, “We hope the Deep Blue project will commence operation in 2021, because the trend of piracy attacks in 2020 was alarming, and it’s important it does not continue in the New Year.”

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