Sea Piracy in Maritime Transportation: A Study of The Gulf of Guinea

Abstract

Sea piracy poses a significant threat to seafarers and the economic well-being of nations. While the international coordinated fight against piracy resulted in a significant reduction in attacks around the Gulf of Aden, a similar effort among countries within the Gulf of Guinea is yet to achieve the desired result, as the region remains a global hotspot for pirate attacks. This study examined the geographic spread, variation, and categories of ships attacked in the Gulf region between 2009 and 2020. The Expo-facto research design was adopted for the study. Data emanated from the website of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) log on pirate distress calls within the Gulf of Guinea between 2009 and 2020. Tools used for analysis include Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and The Arc-View GIS 10.4 to analyse the objectives of the study. Findings showed that a larger part of the attacks occurred during motion within Nigeria's shoreline with a significant variation in the number of ships attacked among the thirteen countries in the Gulf of Guinea within the period of review (F (12,133) = 22.212). Product tanker shipping vessels are the most vulnerable to pirate attacks among the categories of shipping vessels transiting the Gulf of Region. The study suggested among others, a holistic approach to managing the problem including greater coordination and response to distress ships, addressing the underlying socio-political issues of coastal communities as well as prioritising securing tanker vessels due to their vulnerability to pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.