Nigeria: Pirates take crew of container ship hostage Dec. 14

Event

A container ship was attacked by at least six pirates 51 km (32 mi) south of Brass (Bayelsa state), off the Niger Delta in the Gulf of Guinea, on Thursday, December 14. As of Thursday, December 21, ten crewmembers are still missing. The nationalities of the abducted crewmembers have not been released. No known communication has been established with the pirates, and their location, as well as the location of the hostages, is currently unknown.

Context

There is a high risk of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea near Nigeria. According to the International Maritime Bureau, the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Nigeria increased from 14 in 2015 to 36 in 2016. The Bureau also reported an increased in attacks in recent weeks. Nigerian waters are particularly at risk, especially near the Bayelsa state, the Bonny Island, and the city of Port Harcourt.

In the first quarter of 2017, 63 percent of the 27 seafarers kidnapped for ransom worldwide were in the Gulf of Guinea. To curb the crime rate, the Nigerian Navy has launched several operations targeting pirates. Although arrests have been made and attempted hijacks averted, the risk of piracy has not been fully mitigated. Hostages captured by Nigerian pirates tend to be released following the payment of a ransom

Advice

Maritime travel through areas off the Nigerian coast is advised against due to the threat of piracy.