There seem to be no signs of piracy abating in the Nigeria’s Niger Delta region and the larger Gulf of Guinea area, with the number of attacks ramping up off Bonny Island over the past few weeks. This year alone, 56 mariners have been kidnapped off the Niger Delta, Dryad Maritime said.
There have been 15 attacks against commercial ships reported within a 60 nautical miles radius of Bonny Island in the Niger Delta over recent weeks, data from maritime security firm Dryad Maritime shows.
Unfortunately, it is the seafarers who pay the highest price as they ended up being held for ransom as a highly-valued commodity. Sometimes, their ordeal lasts for years as talks between shipowners and pirates hit a stalemate. Other times, they are left to be rescued by maritime forces or they manage to escape.
This is despite the efforts of the Nigerian Navy to detain those responsible for the recent attacks, even though they are said to have the description of an alleged mother vessel preying on the vessels in the region.
Dryad Maritime forecasts that the attacks against shipping in the Gulf of Guinea are likely to continue their target being kidnapping seafarers for ransom.
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