Gulf of Guinea accounts for 95% of the 135 seafarers kidnapped in 2020


Nigeria unveiled $195m worth of boats, vehicles and aircraft to spearhead the government’s fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

The equipment will enable security forces to patrol the waters off the country’s coast more effectively and restore confidence to vessels operating in the area. Nigeria borders on an expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that has become the most perilous part of the world for sailors, accounting for almost all kidnappings at sea in recent years.

Nigeria is “restoring sanity to our waters,” said Bashir Jamoh, director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency, which is co-ordinating the project.

Through a programme known as Deep Blue, the government deployed two special-mission vessels, two aircraft, three helicopters, four drones, 16 armoured vehicles and 17 interceptor boats. HLS International, an Israeli maritime-security company, was responsible for procuring the assets, which will be operated by the Nigerian military.
Hostages and ransoms

The Gulf of Guinea, which stretches from Senegal to Angola, accounted for 95% of the 135 seafarers kidnapped in 2020 and all 40 crew members that were abducted in the first three months of this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. While attacks are taking place further from shore and a majority of incidents now occur outside Nigerian waters, most pirates come from Africa’s largest oil producer and return to the country with their hostages to negotiate ransoms.

Deep Blue has “a clear objective to manage, control and protect” Nigerian waters and “ensure our waterways are safe for business,” Jamoh said at a ceremony marking the launch of the programme.