12-Apr-2018
PIRATE ATTACKS WORSEN IN GULF OF GUINEA: IMB REPORT
Worldwide
STRAIT TRAFFIC SUSPENDED DUE TO FOG
Bosphorus, Turkey
Pirate attacks worsen in Gulf of Guinea: IMB report
Thursday, April 12, 2018, Worldwide
A surge in armed attacks against ships around West Africa is pushing up global levels of piracy and armed robbery at sea, warns the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre recorded 66 incidents in the first quarter of 2018, up from 43 for the same period in 2017, and 37 in Q1 2016.
Worldwide in the first three months of 2018, 100 crew were taken hostage and 14 kidnapped from their vessels. A total of 39 vessels were boarded, 11 fired upon and four vessels hijacked. IMB eceived a further 12 reports of attempted attacks.
The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 29 incidents in 2018 Q1, more than forty percent of the global total. Of the 114 seafarers captured worldwide, all but one were in this region.
All four vessels hijackings were in the Gulf of Guinea, where no hijackings were reported in 2017. Two product tankers were hijacked from Cotonou anchorage in mid-January and early February, prompting the IMB PRC to issue a warning to ships. Towards the end of March, two fishing vessels were hijacked 30nm off Nigeria and 27nm off Ghana….
….Nigeria alone recorded 22 incidents. Of the 11 vessels fired upon worldwide, eight were off Nigeria – including a 300,000 MT deadweight VLCC tanker more than 40nm off Brass….
….One incident was reported off Somalia, where a product tanker was fired upon and chased by two skiffs around 160nm SE of Hobyo. At the end of March, a 160,000 DWT tanker reported being fired upon in the Gulf of Aden, while transiting within the Maritime Security Transit Corridor. The distance from land, sighting of ladders and firing upon ships continues to illustrate that the Somali pirates retain the capability and intent to attack merchant shipping in the wider Indian Ocean.
Indonesia recorded nine low level attacks against anchored vessels. Five bulk carriers reported actual or attempted attacks at Muara Berau anchorage in Samarinda, while waiting to load coal cargoes….
(For information about operations around the world contact the respective GAC office. Details may be found at www.gac.com)
Source: Extracts from International Maritime Bureau (www.icc-ccs.org) news release dated 10 April 2018
Strait traffic suspended due to fog
Thursday, April 12, 2018, Bosphorus, Turkey
Vessel traffic in the Bosphorus was suspended at 10.11 hours local time today (12 April) due to poor visibility and dense fog.
For information about operations in the Turkish Straits contact GAC Istanbul at turkey@gac.com
