U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, 25 January - 22 February 2023

Paragraph 2.A. is worth noting, aee also Worldwide-Maritime Port Vulnerabilities - Foreign Adversarial Technological, Physical, and Cyber Influence and LOGINK: Risks from China’s Promotion of a Global Logistics Management Platform (pdf)

Chinese control over shipping information in LOGINK could also enable Chinese military planners to conceal PLA actions and disrupt U.S. military operations. As U.S. Naval War College assistant professor Isaac Kardon explains, “If you control the information, you can move things around without others knowing, or jumble up someone else’s information.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

Interesting graphic from the first link above:

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 12 June - 17 July 2019 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/SOUTHEAST ASIA Weekly Piracy Update for 11 - 17 July 2019

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

Gulf of Guinea Pirates: African Anti-Piracy Meeting

Reported as "West, Central Africa leaders meet over piracy" by Africa Review:

West and Central African leaders on Monday started a two-day summit in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on maritime security and combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

The heads of state and government will deliberate on new proposals and a joint action plan to tackle piracy and maritime criminality in the region.
***
At the close of the summit, it is expected that the member countries will be provided with “appropriate means” to combat the phenomenon, sources said.
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An estimated 996 pirate attacks have been recorded since 2012 on ocean-going fuel cargo vessels in the region and products transferred to pirate ships, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

The source said oil products from pirated ships are sold on the lucrative black market. The pirates are not primarily focused on seeking ransoms to release ships.

The IMB statement said that West Africa has overtaken Somalia in the reported number of both ships and seafarers attacked.

Getting together is a start to defeating the pirates.

GOG 2012 Attacks reported to the IMB

A flavor of GOG piracy from the ONI World Wide Threat to Shipping Report of 20 June 13 (images nearby are from the IMB Live Piracy Map site):

G. (U)WEST AFRICA
:
1. (U) GUINEA: On 19 June, an anchored general cargo ship was boarded at 09:14 N 013:57 W, approximately 25nm southwest of Conakry. Five pirates, armed with machine guns, boarded a general cargo ship at anchor. They threatened the crew, stole ship's cash, crew personal belongings,then escaped. All crew were reported safe. (IMB)


2. (U) TOGO: On 13 June, the anchored French-flagged chemical tanker ADOUR was hijacked at 05:41 N- 001:18 E, approximately 25 nm south of Lome. An unknown number of pirates boarded and hijacked the ship. 14 of the 15 crew members were released, one crew member was taken hostage, to ensure the pirates safe passage back to Nigeria and to potentially ransom for money. On 17 June, the vessel was released and the captive crew member was rescued unharmed, by local authorities. (TW, LSS, VesselTracker.com)


3. (U) NIGERIA: On 13 June, the Singapore-flagged underway offshore supply vessel MDPL CONTINENTAL ONE was boarded and personnel kidnapped at 04:02 N-008:02 E, approximately 7 nm southwest of the OFON Oil Field. Two fiberglass speed-boats, each with 2 outboards engines, each carrying 14 gunmen in wearing casual t-shirts and no masks, launched an attack. The pirates were armed with AK47’s. After stealing personal items and belongings, four expat crew were kidnapped (Polish (Chief Engineer) and three Indians (Captain, Chief Officer, and Bosun). (TW, OCL, SAA, Fleetmon.com, AP)


4. (U) NIGERIA: On 04 June, the Saint Vincent and Grenadines-flagged underway tug-offshore supply ship BOURBON ARETHUSE was boarded at 04:14 N-007:45 E, at the Usari Field. Pirates boarded the ship while on standby duties. Seeing the pirates, the crew raised the alarm, retreated into the citadel, alerted other vessels, and the shore based office by VHF and waited until the pirates had left. On investigation it was found that ships and crew belongings werestolen. All crew safe. (IMB, IMO, OCL, SAA)


5. (U) NIGERIA: On 04 June, the Vanuatu-flagged underway offshore supply ship C VIKING was attacked in the vicinity of 04:14 N- 007:45 E, at the Usari Field. No further reporting at thistime. (TW, SAA, AP)


6. (U) NIGERIA: On 03 June, the Marshall Islands-flagged underway chemical tanker BLUEGREEN TIGRE was fired upon at 04:42 N–008:1 9 E approximately 2.5 nm north of James Town, in the Calabar River. Ten armed robbers in two speed boats approached and fired upon the chemical tanker underway with pilot on board. Master raised alarm, mustered all crew, and reported the incident to the Nigerian Authorities. The armed robbers aborted the attack and moved away when the Nigerian Marine Police arrived on the scene. All crew are safe, but the ship sustained minor damage due to the firing. (IMB, IMO, OCL)


7. (U) NIGERIA: On 03 June, the Singapore-flagged chemical tanker RHINO was fired upon at 06:16 N–003:20 E, at the Lagos Anchorage. While at anchor, an unknown number of robbers attempted to board the vessel through the hawse pipe, via chain locker, and exchanged gunshots with the Nigerian naval personnel onboard. The general alarm was activated and the crew mustered at the designated muster station. The robbers' boat eventually left after 20 minutes. There was no injury to the crew or items stolen. (IMO , OCL)

8. (U) NIGERIA: On 24 May, the Nigeria-flagged underway chemical tanker MATRIX I was boarded and personnel kidnapped approximately 40 nm off the coast of Bayelsa state. Around seven to eight pirates armed with guns, in a boat, fired at and boarded the tanker underway. They stole ship’s and crew's belongings, kidnapped five crew members and escaped. The kidnapped crew was released safely on 07 June. (OCL, LL, Reuters, AP, IMO, IMB)

West Africa "Piracy": Cameroon Harbor Attacks

A couple of kidnappings and some robberies of ship crews of vessels moored in Douala Harbor are worthy of note as set out in "Shipping Piracy Moves To West African Coast" from the Handy Shipping Guide:

The fashion for piracy has seemingly moved directly across the continent with several attacks taking place on Sunday 12th September in the harbour at Douala. An armed gang roamed the moorings and attacked two vessels terrorising the crews and robbing them of valuables.

After the initial assaults the gang attacked a trailing suction hopper dredger, the Amerigo Vespucci, and despite some resistance, seized two crew members, one Filipino, the other Croatian.

Robberies of a similar sort happen in ports around the world and do not meet the UNCLOS definition of "piracy" ("high seas" being a required location).

On the other hand, the International Maritime Bureau has long taken a more expansive view of piracy, a matter of an email exchange that I had with Noel Choong, director of the International Maritime Bureau's anti-piracy office a couple of years ago (see here). The IMB has a commendable goal of saving ship crews and improving safety and takes in a broader scope of crimes against shipping is covered by the UNCLOS definition.

Call it what you will, there are a couple of kidnapped sailors at risk and that is the real concern here.

Piracy. robbery and kidnapping are not new visitors to West Africa, though, as the following IMB derived maps show:

Ship photo from the owner's website here.

Cameroon: A Couple of Russians Taken by Pirates - and that may just be the beginning of the story

Two Russians, including former Arctic Sea sailor, abducted in Africa:

Two Russian seamen, including a former member of the Arctic Sea cargo vessel at the center of a hijacking saga last year, have been abducted in Cameroon, a Russian sailors' trade union said on Monday.

The North Spirit vessel, flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and owned by Greece's Balthellas Chartering S.A., was attacked by pirates on Sunday while anchored in Cameroon's largest port of Douala.

"At 22:40 local time [21:40 GMT] two boats with about 20 armed men approached the vessel. The armed men ordered the crew to gather on the upper deck and made them lay them face down. Another group of pirates broke into the cabins of the crew members and the captain and took their personal belongings," the union said in a statement.

The attackers took captain Boris Tersintsev and chief engineering officer Igor Shumik hostage and left the ship.

Shumik was among the 15 crew members on the Arctic Sea cargo ship, which disappeared for more than three weeks last summer while carrying a $2 million shipment of timber from Finland to Algeria.

Most of you will remember the remarkable saga of the MV Arctic Sea (see also here and here). You might also note a couple of 8 suspected "pirates" ended up in A Russian prison.

Earlier reports had the ship being captured by pirates, but that doesn't seem to be the case.UPDATE: Fairplay says the ship was taken.


Photo of "North Spirit" by Alec Sansen at Shipspotting.com and used in accord with that site's terms.

Cameroon: Piracy and Oil

Reported as Cameroon piracy threatens oil investment:

Piracy in Cameroon has cut off some oil production, causing worries about future investments from overseas oil companies.

The African country has recently been embroiled in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which has led to insecurity in the oil industry.

As much as 95 percent of Cameroon's oil comes from a basin in the Gulf of Guinea, where attacks on commercial shipping have made the area increasingly dangerous.

Seven Chinese fishermen were kidnapped last month and a Nigerian boat was hijacked off the coast of Cameroon.

On each occasion, pirates demanded more than $1 million to release the ships.

Crude oil production in Cameroon has gone down to average just over 73,000 barrels a day with spending in the oil sector dropping by more than one-third.

See also this VOA report:

Gilpin says piracy threatens the profitability of new oil exploration off Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria's Niger Delta. The interest in new sources of oil will always be there, but Gilpin says it is the quality of investment that will suffer.

"You are less likely to see oil majors who have the capacity and the deep-pockets for the sort of exploration that will be required go in first," he said. "You are more likely to see smaller concerns go in and test the waters. And what this does it costs the countries because when the oil majors come in later, the beneficiaries are the smaller companies that took the risk to go in in the first place, not the countries."

Gilpin says very few countries in the Gulf of Guinea have addressed what he calls vast gaps in maritime security from Nigeria to Angola. Pirate groups that withdrew after increased security in 2000 are now reemerging. But unlike the more-publicized piracy off the coast of Somalia, Gulf of Guinea pirates are less organized.

Cameroon: Bank Robbing Pirates From the Sea

Reported here, bank robbing pirates from the sea in Cameroon:

A group of unidentified armed robbers stormed Limbe in the wee hours of September 28, killed one, wounded many and carted away several millions from AMITY Bank.The robbers, who reportedly came by sea, succeeded to escape under the cover of intensive gun fire.

The entire article is worth reading.

It's an interesting story and reminds me that Blackbeard and other pirates often attacked cities during their piratical careers, as noted here.

Cameroon: "Pirates" grab 5 soldiers and an official

Reported here, Nigeria's neighbor Cameroon reports the attack came from shore:

A Cameroonian official and five soldiers were ambushed and abducted by pirates on the Bakassi frontier with Nigeria in a fresh attack in the oil producing Gulf of Guinea, authorities said on Wednesday.

Cameroon's armed forces said the attack took place on Monday at Mbenmong on the long-disputed Bakassi peninsula, which Nigeria handed back to Cameroon in 2006 in line with an International Court of Justice ruling.

A sub-prefect from Kombo-Abedimo was among those abducted after the boat in which he was travelling with an eight-man Cameroonian military patrol was fired on as it approached the fishing settlement.

"Heavily-armed pirates on the shore opened a hail of fire onto the boat," the Cameroonian military statement said.

Three of the soldiers, one badly wounded, were able to dive into the water. The six other occupants of the boat, believed to be wounded, were seized by the attackers along with the vessel and their weapons, the statement added.
***
Cameroon said its security forces were investigating Monday's attack, which it called the attack an act of piracy.

"These attacks linked to international terrorism are becoming more and more frequent in African maritime areas, notably off Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea," the armed forces statement said.(emphasis added)