From the U.S. Maritime Administration:
U.S. MARITIME ADVISORY 2020-012
Threat Type: Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom
Geographic Area: Gulf of Guinea
This revised advisory cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2020-002
1. Reference: None.
2. Issue: Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom (KFR) continues to serve as a significant threat to U.S. flagged operators with vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
3. According to the Office of Naval Intelligence’s “Shipping Threat Reports” website at https://www.oni.navy.mil/News/Shipping-Threat-Reports/, 53 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea occurred in the GoG region this year as of 6 July 2020. This is a 27 percent decrease from the same period in 2019; however, the number of kidnappings and hijackings remain almost the same. While boardings and attempted boardings to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping. Approximately 50 percent of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria. So far in 2020, there have been 16 kidnappings, two hijackings/kidnapping combinations, and one hijacking in the GoG. U.S. flagged operators with ships operating in or through the GoG Voluntary Reporting Area designated on Maritime Security Chart Q6114 at http://www.shipping.nato.int/nsc/media-centre/downloads/maritimesecurity- charts.aspx should transit with extreme caution and vigilance.
4. During the first half of 2020, pirates and armed robbers operated off at least eight countries in the Gulf of Guinea (Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Gabon) targeting a variety of vessels to include tankers, container ships, general cargo vessels, fishing vessels, passenger vessels, and numerous vessels supporting oil drilling/production. Criminals/armed KFR groups have used motherships to support KFR operations up to 160 nautical miles from shore. It is not uncommon for these groups to fire upon targeted vessels during boardings and attempted boardings. KFR groups generally kidnap two to six high-value crewmembers to include the master, chief engineer, and any Western crewmembers, but there were several incidents over the past couple of years where ten or more crewmembers were kidnapped at one time. Kidnapped crewmembers are normally taken ashore in the Niger Delta region where KFR groups demand ransom payments in exchange for the safe return of the crewmembers.
5. Guidance: Mariners transiting this area should visit the new Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade-Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) website at https://gog-mdat.org and the NATO Shipping Centre website at https://shipping.nato.int/nsc/operations/global-maritime-risk/west-africagulf-of-guinea for additional information on threats and specific recommendations for their vessels. U.S. flag vessels anchoring, transiting, or operating in this region must comply with their approved Vessel Security Plans. Additionally, the recently issued “Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security Off the Coast of West Africa including the Gulf of Guinea” (available under the Geography – Gulf of Guinea pull-down menu at https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org/ provides additional guidance and resources for operating in this area.
6. Mariners operating near this area are also advised to consult the Department of State Travel Advisories for this area at https://go.usa.gov/xUKs2.
7. All suspicious activities and events involving US vessels or persons must be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center at 800-424-8802 in accordance with 33 CFR 101.305.
8. Contact Information MDAT-GoG is operated by the navies of France and the United Kingdom. This center receives reports, shares important updates, provides guidance on vessel operating patterns, and reviews security risks with the Gulf of Guinea maritime community. Note that MDAT-GoG does not coordinate responses to vessels under attack. MDAT-GoG can be contacted via email at [email protected] or telephone at +33(0)2 98 22 88 88. For any maritime industry questions about this advisory, contact [email protected] . Supplemental information may also be found on the MARAD Office of Maritime Security website at https://go.usa.gov/xUKsb.
9. Cancellation of Prior Advisories: This message cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2020-002 and will automatically expire on January 8, 2021.
For more information about U.S. Maritime Alerts and Advisories, including subscription details, please visit http://www.marad.dot.gov/MSCI.
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