PGI: Kidnappings More Profitable Than Oil Theft

Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) Since mid-January there has been a notable uptick in reported incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, showing that pirates have given up on oil cargo theft and instead started kidnapping crew members for ransom, UK-owned risk management solutions provider Protection Group International (PGI) said. The analyst said that in January there were four recorded attacks on vessels in the area involving kidnapping, a significant increase compared to one per month from October to December 2015. Furthermore, there were no reports of major oil cargo thefts since October 2015, representing a continuation of a long-term decline in hijackings in the Gulf of Guinea over the past 18 months. Although cargo theft remains a serious concern in the Gulf of Guinea, the rise in kidnappings could see piracy gangs target a wider range of vessels as they come to focus less on those carrying oil, PGI said. The reason behind the current change in piracy lies in Nigerian governments crackdown on illicit refineries in the region, which has made it more difficult to process and sell stolen oil. Namely, PGI added that, according to security officials, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps destroyed some 106 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta in 2015. Improved navy patrols and surveillance in the Niger Delta have also made it more difficult for criminal gangs to store and transport stolen crude, prompting many criminals to operate further out to sea. However, PGI added that these surveillance activities do not appear to have had a significant impact on the rate of kidnappings within the Niger Delta, which remains high. Furthermore, the analyst said the ongoing fall in revenue to militant gangs from oil theft and amnesty payments is expected to boost criminal activity at sea, resulting in a steady increase in kidnappings of the crew of commercial vessels in the Gulf of Guinea during 2016.