Abstract
In comprehending the challenge that this study sets out to come in terms with, is a foreknowledge of the region regarded as the Gulf of Guinea is considered useful. There are
diverse opinions about the exact composition of the Gulf of Guinea. According to Merz and
Yates, the geo-political entity known as “the Gulf of Guinea consists of the seven countries
along the South Atlantic Ocean, namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome
and Principe, Gabon, Angola and Congo.” Given this opinion about the geographical sphere
of the region, the Gulf of Guinea can be said to have straddle countries within three subregions of Africa –West Africa (Nigeria), Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe) and Southern Africa (Angola). Within this
stretch, there are smaller oil producing countries namely Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, the Islands of Sao Tome and Principe, and Congo Brazzaville in Central Africa.
Damian Mane conceives the r
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Gulf of Guinea is made up of the maritime areas of the western parts of the African
continent, and harbouring the Atlantic coastlines of 11 west and central African countries.
The countries include Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola, Congo, among others.
The Gulf of Guinea sub-regional oil fields are undisputedly attractive to oil companies
because they deliver higher profits per barrel than from most other parts of the world.
Similarly, the sub-region has proven reserves of 46 billion barrels, and with extensive
exploration and exploitation efforts underway, this is expected to hit 100 billion barrels by
the year 2010. Oil industry experts predict that by 2022, the industry will have invested more
than $40 billion in the sub-region. Furthermore, according to the U.S. National Intelligence
Estimate Report, oil supply levels from the sub-region to the United States are expected to
grow from the current 16 percent of U.S. oil imports to 25 percent by the year 2015. Adding
that, the natural gas production potential of the Gulf of Guinea sub-region is another reason
for increased interest of the world?s major energy consumers.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of attacks on oil vessels by
pirates, in particular in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and the Indian Ocean and recently the
Gulf of Guinea. Vast areas of waters are affected making it a great challenge to prevent
maritime piracy incidents.
Maritime piracy affects major shipping lanes, and puts at risk the lives of seafarers and
merchant seamen from all over the world, of who largenumbers amounting to hundreds are
taken captive each year.
Millions of dollars in ransom payments are paid to pirates. It is believed that these payments
are divided between the pirates, their leaders and those who finance them. Intelligence
agencies indicate that part of the money is reinvested abroad through Somali emigrants.
Tracing the financial flows of ransom money is one of the main challenges faced by law
enforcement agencies.
Over decades off the western coast of Africa just north of the equator, the gulf of guinea has
suffered and endured the terror of maritime piracy around its borders and waters.
There were 439 worldwide piracy attacks in 2011, more than half of which were attributed to
Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean,
and off the coast of Oman. Other piracy hotspots for 2011 included the coast off Nigeria and
Benin in West Africa, and Southeast Asia, near Indonesia.In the case of Somalia, analysts say
one of the largest drivers of piracy is the lack of an efficient governing authority in the
country. The Gulf of Guinea is vast, nearly equal to the Gulf of Mexico, and the shipping
lifeline for a dozen nations, ranging from tiny São Tomé and Príncipé to the continent’s most
populous, Nigeria, and geographically second largest, the Democratic Republic of Congo. As
the primary access route to and from major oil-producing countries Angola and Nigeria, it is
critical to international shipping, and its already dense tanker traffic will only increase due to
recent discoveries of offshore oil in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Liberia. (www.google.compircay
hotspot.org, accessed November 11th 2014)
The U.S. first grasped the strategic value of the Gulf of Guinea in the early 2000s, when, as
part of a new African oil policy, the Bush administration boosted naval forces there to protect
the investment of its oil companies. As piracy began to rise, Washington and its international
partners launched maritime security cooperation programs that provide ships and equipment
to African navies
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Piracy off West Africa has been driven much more by political and social grievances. In the
Gulf of Guinea, many hijackings target oil tankers, with pirates seizing the oil and then
selling it for a profit on the black market Peter Chalk, a senior political scientist at the Rand
Corporation, told CFR.org. Chalk says there is evidence that Nigeria’s rebel Movement for
the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)–which has pressured the Abuja government to
more equitably allocate oil revenues–has been involved in attacks on oil tankers off the coast
Piracy in the gulf of guinea affects a number of countries in West Africa as well as the wider
international community. By 2011, it had become an issue of global concern.
Pirates in the gulf of guinea are often part of heavily armed criminal enterprises, who employ
violent methods to steal oil cargo. In 2012, the international maritime bureau (IMB), Oceans
Beyond Piracy(OBF) and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program(MPHRP)
reported that the number of vessels attacks by West African pirates had reached a world high,
with 966 seafarers attacked during the year.
Bunkering: oil is stolen directly from pipelines, artisanal refined, and sold in local and
international markets
Kidnapping: employees of oil firms are subjected to kidnapping by pirates for ransom.
Extortion: major oil companies pay protection fees to communities and security companies to
ensure pipelines are not sabotaged.
National embezzlement: enormous subsidy fraud has recently been uncovered by the
Nigerian parliament
Smuggling: Subsidized fuel is smuggled across borders to markets where it is worth three
times as much, at a direct cost to the Nigerian people
Tracing the financial flows of ransom money is one of the main challenges faced by law
enforcement agencies.
1.3
OBJECTIVES/AIM OF THE STUDY
The sole aim of me picking this topic is educate various people what maritime piracy has
done to west Africa as a whole, there have been so much lost of lives and properties,
vandalizing pipelines, kidnap cases, even human trafficking.
The specific objective are
What are the role of maritime pirates in mitigating insecurity in the gulf of guinea
To examine the impact of maritime pirate and insecurity on the development of gulf of
guinea.
To evaluate the efforts of tackling maritime piracy and insecurity in the gulf of guinea
What are the prospects of sustainable peace and security through awareness of maritime
piracy in gulf of guinea
To investigate ways of enhancing the capabilities to manage maritime piracy and insecurity
in the gulf of guinea
Below is the rate of piracy in the gulf of guinea over the past years:
Attacks per year
In 2003 – 39 cases
First half of 2004- 13
2007 – 56
2008 – 40
2012 – 966 (www.google.com, sourced from academia.edu uploaded by F.Onuoha oil piracy
in the gulf of guinea)
Table of Recent piracy trends in Africa
2006 2007 2008 Total
Ghana 3 1 1 11
Nigeria 12 42 40 94
Somalia 20 44 110 174
Tanzania 9 11 14 34
Other African
states
13 21 18 52
Sum total of
attacks
365
(Source; International Maritime Bureau, Piracy and armed robbery against ships;
International Maritime Organisation, Reports on acts of piracy and armed robbery against
ships)
The table above further illustrates the level of piracy attacks in Africa over three years(2006-
2008). Piracy is at its height in Africa particularly the gulf of guinea, thereby affecting
economic relations with international states.
The international community has expressed concern and grievances over the increasing
number of reports of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB)
Piracy Reporting Centre reported that the range of the attacks is extending and the level of
violence against the crews is “dangerously high”.
In November 2011 Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon assembled a team
to examine the situation. As a result a recommendation was made to convene a regional
summit as to form a united front by the affected West African countries. It was recognized
that the area that is the entire gulf of guinea needs a comprehensive maritime security
framework across national boundaries to fight piracy. Furthermore, technical and logistical
help is needed from the international community.
The United States military Africa Command (Africom) started joint naval training exercises
with affected West African countries.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate incidents off the West Africa seaboard
in 2012 increased to 34 from 30 the previous year.
On 19 November 2012, the United NationsSecurity Council held an open meeting to discuss
piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, among other areas. The debate, which was the first held by the
Security Council about this subject, was called by Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri
and heard more than 40 speakers from different countries and international organizations.
Several speakers noticed that while acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean were declining due to
coordinated naval operations, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea was intensifying. They suggested
applying lessons learned there to the Gulf of Guinea, “including a focus on modernizing
counter-piracy laws, strengthening capacities for maritime law enforcement and crime
investigation, supporting regional networks and increasing knowledge sharing.
So far in the year 2012 the record of sea violence was alarming, there was so much loss of
lives properties, many neighbouring countries suffered the terror of maritime piracy around
their borders and water.
The Nigerian Navy should be determined to continually provide “a holistic operational
framework, anchored on surveillance, response initiative and enforcement in Nigeria?s
maritime domain.
Another aim is to tackle the challenges surrounding the security threat of the gulf of guinea
which includes piracy, drug and human trafficking, pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft,
unregulated and unreported fishing, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and
environmental degradation.
Furthermore, the security lapses in the gulf to which includes “lack of basic maritime
awareness which creates ungoverned maritime environment for criminals to operate,
inadequate national and regional capabilities to monitor maritime surface traffic in a timely
manner should be tackled so as to reduce maritime piracy to a minimum level.
Accordingly, the Nigeria Navy should aim at the lead in increasing existing regional maritime
domain capability through surveillance systems located along Nigeria?s coastline in order to
improve total awareness of the environment.
“This effort has already started yielding tangible results with the arrest of over 40 vessels
engaged in illegal activities in our waters.
1.4
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study is limited to the Gulf of Guinea a sub-region in the West Africa,
which compromises of Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola, Congo.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has evolved over the first decade of the century. For some time,
smaller ships transporting employees and materials belonging to the oil companies with any
involvement in oil exploration had been at risk in Nigeria. Over time, pirates became more
aggressive, improved on their strategies and tactics and better armed.
As of 2014, pirate attacks in West Africa mainly occur in territorial waters, terminals and
harbours rather than in the high seas. This incident pattern has hindered intervention by
international naval forces. Pirates in the region operate a well-funded criminal industry,
which includes established supply networks from far and near. They are often part of heavily
armed and sophisticated criminal enterprises, which increasingly use mother ships to launch
their attacks. The local pirates’ overall aim is to steal oil cargo either as a form of retaliation
as seen in the Niger delta militants or for criminal personnel?s in the government. As such,
they do not attach much importance to holding crew members and non-oil cargo and vessels
for ransom. Additionally, pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are especially noted for their violent
modus operandi(that is their habitual methods or procedure), which frequently involves the
kidnapping, torture and shooting of crewmen. The increasingly violent methods used by these
groups are believed to be part of a conscious “business model” adopted by them, in which
violence and intimidation plays a major role.
By 2010, 45 and by 2011 64 incidents were reported to the United Nation International
Maritime Organization(UNIMO). However, many events and operations go unreported.
Piracy acts interfere with the legitimate trading interests of the affected countries that include
Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As an
example, trade of Benin’s major port, the Port of Cotonou, was reported in 2012 to have
dropped by 70 percent, thereby causing major economic breakdown in these countries. The
cost of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea due to stolen goods, security, and insurance has been
estimated to be about $2 billion. By mid-November 2013, pirates in the Gulf of Guinea had
launched around 100 attacks during the year.
1.5SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this study is attributed solely to the gulf of guinea where piracy is
concentrated especially Nigeria, who was at one time the only oil producing region in the
West Africa. The Gulf of Guinea is constituted of the maritime areas of the western parts of
the African continent, and harbouring the Atlantic coastlines of 11 west and central African
countries.
The countries include Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola, Congo, among others.
NAVAL chiefs from the Gulf of Guinea countries, the United States of America, United
Kingdom and other collaborating nations met recently at Tinapa Resort, Calabar, to strategise
on how to tackle security challenges and issues in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria?s Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, said that the conference was
convened to address challenges and threat to the economic interest of the states in the gulf.
The theme of the conference was: “Regional Maritime Awareness Capability Systems: A Key
for Enhancing Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea.??
1.6METHODOLOGY
The methodology I will be applying on my project work is a quantitative method, so as to get
some accurate facts about the topic by using various forms of table analysis and charts. Also
questioners would be issued out to specific crowd which includes lecturers, students, oil
marketers to mention a few so as to further quantify facts and opinions of facts.
1.7HYPOTHESIS/RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is role of maritime pirates in mitigating insecurity and oil bunkering in West Africa,
particularly states in the Gulf of Guinea?
As regards to this study, investigation included one research hypothesis; Many citizens of the
states in the gulf of guinea engage in oil theft, sometimes in retaliation to the government or
the government itself is involved in the criminal act.
What do you think is the impact of maritime piracy and insecurity on the development of the
West African states?
Pertaining the study, research investigation included one hypothesis; most African states have
been subjected to bad governance and leadership, the so called leaders sell crude oil extracted
to foreign countries in pretence of improving the living standard of the people and end up
enriching themselves and investing in other foreign land.
Imagine the security system in the Gulf of Guinea is highly responsive, dedicated and
security personals are well trained. What are the efforts of tackling maritime ptracy and
insecurity in the gulf of guinea?
As to this study, investigation included one hypothesis; yes our water borders and territory
would be much safer.
What are the prospect of sustainable peace and security through creating awareness of
maritime piracy in the gulf of guinea?
What are the ways of enhancing the capabilities to manage maritime piracy and insecurity in
the gulf of guinea?
Given the study, research investigation included one hypothesis;
The Gulf of Guinea, stretching through West and Central Africa, does not yet rank in the
same league of criminal notoriety as the waters off Somalia, but it is now increasingly
identified as one of the world?s most poorly governed maritime stretches.
1.8DEFINITION OF TERMS
MARITIME PIRACY; Maritime piracy therefore means the plundering, hijacking or
detention of ships in international waters.Maritime piracy should be easy to define and surely
evokes a certain understanding within the lay mind. Nonetheless, different organisations and
authors offer different definitions – simply put, piracy is a slippery concept.
Murphy, a leading expert on piracy, defines it as “unlawful depredation at sea involving the
use or threat of violence, but not necessarily, involving robbery.” The British jurist, C.S.
Kenny, calls piracy “any armed violence at sea which is not a lawful act of war.” Dillon
offers a more encompassing definition, calling piracy “actions against ships under way and
outside the protection of port authorities in territorial waters, straits and on the high seas.” Of
piracy in Nigeria, it is the country?s Delta region that remains the one most plagued by
maritime crimes. As a result of the oil boom in the 1970s, the Niger Delta has been a hub of
activity for oil companies. Local groups became unsatisfied with the amount of oil wealth
that was making its way back to the Delta via the government and resentment rose spurring
on militant groups to take action in the form of piracy and kidnap-for-ransom
PIRACY;Piracy means the practise of hijacking of ships in the high sea. It is typically an act
of armed robbery at sea or criminal violence at sea. It could also mean in other context as an
unauthorized duplication of copyrighted contents that is then sold at substantial rates.
THE GULF OF GUINEA;The gulf of guinea is located in the geographical region of West
Africa. The Gulf of Guinea consists of the seven countries along the South Atlantic Ocean,
namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Angola and
Congo.