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West Africa has world's worst piracy rate

Agence France-PresseJune 18, 2013 16:31
Wast Africa has overtaken Somalia as the world's piracy hot-spot with 966 sailors attacked last year, a report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Tuesday. "The year 2012 marked the first time since the surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia that the reported number of both ships and seafarers attacked in the Gulf of Guinea surpassed that of the Gulf of Aden and of the western Indian Ocean," the report said. Of the 206 hostages taken last year off West Africa, five were killed, the document said.

French-flagged tanker in W. Africa "released"

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 08:31
A French-flagged tanker has been released after it was captured four days ago in the piracy-plagued waters off West Africa, the International Maritime Bureau said Monday. In a short alert, the IMB's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre said the vessel was "released" earlier Monday and "is now proceeding to a safe port". The centre said the tanker was taken by pirates but did not say whether there were any losses, and could not be reached for further details.

Saudi ship owner paid pirates $2.6 mn ransom

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 14:15
The Saudi owner of an Algerian cargo ship whose crew were held by Somali pirates for 10 months admitted paying $2.6 million to free them in November 2011, an Algerian paper reported Tuesday. The MV Blida, carrying 17 Algerians, six Ukrainians, two Filipinos, one Jordanian and one Indonesian, was captured by a gang of heavily armed pirates on January 1, 2011, on its way from Oman to Tanzania. Two of hostages were released for health reasons in October that year, with the rest freed the following month when a bag full of cash was parachuted from a plane.

Pirates free Danish ship crew held two years in Somalia

Agence France-PresseApril 30, 2013 12:56
Pirates have freed six sailors who were abducted from a Danish cargo ship off Oman and held for more than two years in Somalia, after receiving a ransom, the crew's employer said Tuesday. Shipping company Shipcraft said it had paid the hijackers "considerable millions, substantially more than previous kidnappings where Danish citizens have been involved". It declined to reveal the amount "considering possible future kidnapping situations".

Anti-piracy group: 5 sailors kidnapped off Nigeria coast in latest attack in dangerous waters

The Canadian PressApril 29, 2013 18:45
LAGOS, Nigeria - An anti-piracy watchdog says five sailors have been kidnapped off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta. The International Maritime Bureau said in a note Monday that the five sailors had been kidnapped Thursday some 45 nautical miles off the coast of Brass. The bureau said the pirates came on a speed boat and a supply vessel, attacking the sailor's container ship. The bureau said the pirates kidnapped the five sailors and left the rest of the crew unharmed.

Pirates kidnap five foreign sailors off Nigeria

Agence France-PresseApril 29, 2013 11:16
Pirates stormed a cargo ship off Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast, kidnapping five foreign sailors and stealing cash, a watchdog and a security source said Monday. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the April 25 incident was carried out by "14 heavily armed pirates" who boarded the vessel 45 nautical miles off the Nigerian town of Brass. They forced their way into the ship's saferoom, making off with crew and cash, the IMB said in a statement.

Pirates kidnap five foreign sailors off Nigeria

Agence France-PresseApril 29, 2013 10:46
Pirates stormed a container ship off Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast, kidnapping five foreign sailors and stealing cash, a watchdog and a security source said Monday. The International Maritime Bureau said the April 25 incident involved "14 heavily armed pirates" who were able to breach the ship's saferoom, while a security source said the five sailors included nationals from Myanmar, Russia and Sri Lanka. str-joa-bs/rm

Pirates pose complex, increasing threat to West African shipping

April 15, 2013 13:16
By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) - Armed hijackers pose a growing threat off Nigeria's oil-rich coast, where commercial ships do not enjoy the protection of naval security that has dramatically reduced Somali piracy on the other side of Africa. The Gulf of Guinea region, which includes Nigeria, is an increasingly important source of oil, cocoa and metals for world markets, although international navies are not actively engaged in counter-piracy missions in the region at present.

World Bank launches report on piracy off Somalia

April 12, 2013 17:19
The Work Bank on Thursday jointly launched a report on piracy off the horn of Africa country coast with Somali government with call for the need of on-shore solutions and international support for rebuilding the horn of Africa nation.

Navy patrols and armed guards on ships helped quash once rampant Somali piracy, but without political solutions onshore attacks will likely return, the World Bank warned today

April 12, 2013 12:52
Navy patrols and armed guards on ships have helped quash once rampant Somali piracy, but without political solutions onshore attacks will likely return, the World Bank warned today.While the number of pirate attacks from Somalia are at a three-year low, costly measures including patrols by international warships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are not a long-term solution to the problem, the bank said in a report.Report co-author Quy-Toan Do said these are only effective as long as they remain in place, and they would have to be permanent to prevent any resurgence of pir
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