Sunday, July 14, 2013
With the latest report released by the
International Maritime Bureau (IMB), ranking the Gulf of Guinea as
having overtaken Somalia in piracy menace, Nigeria and other ECOWAS
leaders are stepping up efforts to police the coastal waters in the
region, reports Francis Ugwoke.
The latest report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) that
Nigeria has now overtaken Somalia in terms of pirate attacks in West
African sub-region is no doubt of serious concern to all international
traders and indeed the Federal Government. This is considering the
implication on the national economy. This also explains the recent
meeting of African leaders which focused on maritime security in the
Gulf of Guinea held in Cameroun. Already, Nigeria is contesting the
decision of the European shipowners to hike shipping charges on goods
coming to the country as a result of increasing piracy. The decision to
hike charges was taken early last year by the shipowners who argue that
vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea are being attacked on regular
intervals. Between 2011 and in recent time, there have been indeed
spontaneous attacks on vessels which resulted in the death of some crew
members on board as well as loss of cargoes.
IMB Report Against Nigeria, Others In the IMB report, 966 seafarers
were attacked by pirates in West Africa, including Nigeria in 2012 as
against 851 off the Somali waters. The report showed that 206 of the
hostages seized by pirates were killed. The world maritime organisation
is probably worried that the pirates steal mostly wet cargoes, money
from the crew in addition to violence. The petroleum products seized are
usually sold to willing buyers in the black market. In Somali, the
pirates, usually hijack vessels and wait for ransom to be paid before
letting the seafarers and ships go. The Somali case was so serious about
two years ago that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) moved
forces to address the problem. Described as the deadliest over the
decades, Somali coast is so dangerous that the IMO and other governments
had to raise a special security to protect ships passing through the
coast. Somali has been notorious in piracy for decades.
High Shipping Charges by shipowners Early last year, following
reports of increased piracy on the Gulf of Guinea, the European
shipowners quickly held a meeting and swiftly introduced new shipping
charges for goods coming to Nigeria and other West African countries.
The shipowners, according to importers have continued to raise charges
since then. Indications are that with the latest official report about
Nigeria overtaking Somalia in piracy, the shipowners may even consider
more hike in premium risk charges.
Efforts by NIMASA to Tackle Piracy The
nation's apex maritime body which is saddled with security on the
territorial waters has been making efforts to address the issue of
piracy. It was for this reason that the agency engaged the services of
Global West Vessel Specialist Limited (GWVSL) to provide special
security on vessels operating on the nation's territorial waters. This
is in addition to the collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and the
agency. It would be recalled that the GWVSL had last year lost its
Managing Diector, Capt. Romeo Itima, in the war against oil thieves in
Escravos, Warri. Director General of NIMASA, Mr Patrick Akpbolokemi had
told newsmen that the activities of the pirates have a way of impacting
negatively on attracting foreign investment to the country.
As at last year, NIMASA requested the engagement of 124 military
personnel who will be part of its Maritime Guard Command (MGC), a unit
that is part of the policing of the territorial waters. To a large
extent, the unit has recorded arrests of pirates and checked the
activities of oil thieves encouraging illegal refineries. Perhaps, what
has been the handicap of the agency is the fact that some of the
suspects arrested have had to escape justice as NIMASA does not have the
power of prosecution. The Deputy Director, Public Relations, Mr Isichei
Osambi told THISDAY that the agency is on top of the situation in
checking piracy on the nation's territorial waters. Osambi said that
Akpobolokemi in his concern about having safe territorial waters has
ordered 24- hour policing of the Nigerian waters to protect all types of
vessels. NIMASA apart from having security presence in Nigerian waters
is also policing the coastal waters of Benin Republic because of the
link with Nigeria.
Moves by African Leaders to Check Piracy Apparently worried about the
negative impact of piracy on the West African region, President
Goodluck Jonathan and other African leaders met in Cameroun recently to
discuss how to address the problem. It was a special summit of Heads of
State and Governments of the Economic Community of Central African
States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) on maritime security in the
region. Jonathan told journalists at the end of the meeting that since
the highest number of attacks take place on the Nigerian waters, his
administration will expand cooperation with other African countries to
check the activities of the sea robbers. "The only way we can contain it
is for the countries within the Central African region and West African
region to come together. Already, Nigeria and Benin Republic have been
partnering but we need to expand across the coast, the West African
coast and the Central African coast. So this is the beginning of the end
of these excesses of piracy, so we are quite pleased with the
conference", he said. The Camerounian Minister of External Relations,
Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, in a communique released after the meeting, said
the member states of the three blocs-ECOWAS, ECCAS and GGC agreed on a
coalition for a multi-lateral assistance amongst all the 25 members
against pirates.
Position of Stakeholders on Piracy Stakeholders who spoke to THISDAY
on the issue of piracy on the Gulf of Guinea said that the issue is
being blown out of proportion. The Executive Secretary, Nigerian
Shippers Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, who said that the issue of
piracy is a matter of evidence, expressed concern on the decision of the
European shipowners to increase shipping charges on claims of piracy in
the Gulf of Guinea. Maintaining that the shipowners will retrace their
steps on the issue as the federal government has taken up the matter,
Bello said that what is happening include offences committed on board
the ship. A member of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Prof
Benedict Ayade, told THISDAY that the issue is being exaggerated. Ayade
regretted that Nigeria was not in IMO to contest some of the claims on
piracy as far as the Gulf of Guinea is concerned. "If we were in IMO, we
will play a very major role in evaluating the risk levels that have
been attached in the Gulf of Guinea. A situation in which the Gulf of
Guinea has been rated as the most pirate-prone route and premiums have
gone up in all the vessels... ... I think the assessment is unfair. The
Gulf of Guinea has not suffered the level of piracy that I know in other
routes. Why the Gulf of Guinea in the whole world!"
Senator Ayade added, "So, it calls for worry and that is why Nigeria
must be part of IMO, so that we have a voice. Look at the Singaporean
experience, they put a team together, they gathered statistics globally
and argued that Singapore is not the place you must give that high
rating of piracy. And within one year, they dropped their name from the
list, because they fought back. Because they had a team, they had
articulated their position based on international statistics. That is
why we must come in this year, because if we don't do that, the premium
must continue for every vessel coming to Nigeria, the insurance
premium... . you will pay through your nose . That will add to the
domestic cost and goods in Nigeria".
The Secretary General of Institute of Marine Engineers, Engr.
Alexander Peters who also described the claims of IMB as exaggerated
however said this has been the reason for the increase in shipping
charges. Peters said that the only solution was for the government to
step up action to check the activities of pirates. He maintained that
Nigeria cannot be in the same ranking with Somalia in piracy. "Somalia
is a failed state, and Nigeria is not a failed state. In Nigeria,
government is on ground to check pirates and they don't have the kind of
freedom they enjoy in Somalia. He called for long term plan to check
the pirates rather than short term. He said that government must work
hard on ensuring that the pirates who thrive on hijacking petroleum
products do not get buyers, adding that this measure will make piracy
unattractive.