Global Maritime Body Says Piracy On Decline in Gulf of Guinea

18 Jul Global Maritime Body Says Piracy On Decline in Gulf of Guinea

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said it received the lowest number of reported incidents for the first half of the year since 1994, evidencing its efforts in raising awareness to make the waters safe globally.

IMB in its half-year report of 2022 has lauded the reduction in piracy in the globe and expressed optimism that it is a new dawn for the shipping community globally.

The Bureau also confirmed that no case of vessel hijack took place in Nigerian waters in the first half of 2022. T

The Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy has confirmed that there has not been any case of Seafarers kidnap one year after the May 2021 declaration.

This is considered commendable progress in comparison to the 2020 statistics when 130 seafarers were kidnapped. The status report from the GoG declaration also confirmed that there has not been any case of kidnap for ransom in 2022, as against 20 cases in 2020 and 12 in 2021.

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh said that Nigeria is committed to sustaining the momentum of the success recorded in recent times in the fight against piracy in the region.

“It is heart-warming that the international maritime community is acknowledging the progress made so far. It is a direct result of collaboration amongst national, regional and non-regional stakeholders.

“It is our hope that this trend will be sustained and very soon, we will start reaping the benefits such as a change of status concerning the Insurance premium paid on Nigerian bound cargoes; the War Riskpremium being paid at the moment. We hope this status will change very soon. He said.