West African Piracy Surpasses East African Piracy

West African pirates have also not hesitated to follow the business model of their Eastern brethren. Two-hundred and six hostages were taken last year, with pirates killing five of them.

Unfortunately, this area has not been given the same attention as Somalia, and faces different challenges. For one, the Nigerian government has been ineffective, even problematic, in dealing with the problem.

Nigeria has yet to grant foreign navies the same right that they possess in Somali waters in the east, insisting that their country alone can handle the problem. However, not all of Nigeria’s ports are up to snuff security wise, and the fact remains that suspiciously little has been accomplished to fix that issue. Furthermore, they have tightened restrictions on private security on board ships entering their ports — greatly decreasing the number of companies allowed to conduct security duties on vessels. The prevalence of armed guards was a major factor in reducing attacks in the east.

Perhaps thanks to a bustling black market for oil and other products common to the Gulf of Guinea, stolen cargo is a lot easier to unload quickly. This makes pirates harder to track and free to strike again.

On the other side of things, the International Maritime Bureau reported that Somali piracy dropped 78% compared to 2011. This is thanks to better practices by ship captains, increasing the use of armed guards on board, and international cooperation– all things that are notably lacking on the west side of the continent. Until they become standard there, there may be no end in sight to piracy in the Gulf.