The kidnapping of maritime personnel in west Africa is a rising trend, which experts expect to continue.
"During 2011 to 2013 [the number of] kidnappings rose, and we foresee that this trend will continue - we will see more kidnappings in the future," said Commander Hallvard Flasland of the NATO Shipping Centre, speaking at SMi's International Port Security conference in London (4-5 June). His figures are supported by maritime consulting company Gray Page. A recent briefing from the company reported that "kidnap for ransom increased by 85% 2013 compared with the levels recorded in 2012". But Flasland said NATO's figures showed that other crimes - vessel hijacks and vessels boarded by maritime criminals - had both halved from 2011 to 2013. "The problem of piracy and maritime crime in west Africa has been fairly stable during the last five, 10 years," said Cdr Flasland, who then emphasised that the level of violence involved in west African maritime crime was the top concern. "What is making this a focal area for the international community is the level of violence that these maritime criminals are putting on the crew," he added. However, Flasland warned IHS Maritime not to expect any international intervention in the Gulf of Guinea region. "Do not expect to see international forces patrolling in west Africa. There are no failed states there, and so security is considered a regional responsibility," he said. According to the Gray Page briefing, most kidnapping victims in the Gulf of Guinea in 2013 were western/European oil workers, who command higher ransom amounts; and they were kidnapped from offshore support vessels operating in the oil fields of the Niger Delta, which have low freeboards, predictable operations, and slow speeds. In April the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US Sixth Fleet organised a joint naval exercise in Nigerian waters aimed at improving security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Source: Maritime Security