Gulf of Guinea pirates cause two billion dollars in losses

Spain participates with a navy patrol boat in the European device, supported by local countries, to protect cargo ships and fishing vessels operating in the area.

The pirate gangs operating in the Gulf of Guinea area, attacking ships and fishing boats, cause direct and indirect losses to companies and states of around two billion euros, according to data handled by the European Union.

This amount includes the costs of rescuing crews after hijackings, reduced fishing, stolen goods, as well as the efforts made by countries, including some EU countries, to combat these attacks.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recently reported that there were 11 hijackings of foreign ship crews in the area in 2021. Last November there was an incident between a Danish Ministry of Defence vessel and pirates in which four of the offenders were killed.

This area, close to the Canary Islands, has become one of the biggest sources of insecurity for seafarers on ships and fishing boats operating in the area, where there are numerous fishing grounds.

It is estimated that after the drop in pirates in the Indian Ocean, almost 90% of serious incidents involving ships now take place in this region, which has become the most dangerous for maritime traffic worldwide.

Pirates often attack ship crews in seas where 5.5 million barrels of oil are transported every day and where fishing traffic is similar to that of the Indian Ocean or the North Atlantic. 

The only important port in the area is Lagos in Nigeria, a country that currently has around 200 million inhabitants and is expected to double its population by 2050. 

The Gulf of Guinea has a high level of vessel traffic, which is not comparable to that which occurs in the Straits of Gibraltar, Suez, Panama or Malacca, but which is important, especially in the vicinity of the coasts.

The countries in the area, with a few exceptions, are among the least urbanised in the world and are highly dependent on fish as a source of food. They have economic, governance, democracy and, of course, quality of life problems.

The area between Gabon and Côte d'Ivoire is among the most populated in the world with many of the countries expected to almost double in population. The countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia. Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The most dangerous spot in the gulf is between Ghana and Gabon, in the Niger Delta. It shares the risk with other areas of the world such as the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

Spanish analysts point out that although there has been a drastic decrease in 2021, caution should be exercised. The reason for this drop in attacks is the high price of oil. Pirates would rather steal crude oil on land than risk being caught in one of their raids at sea.

Incidents occur especially between November and April and the gangs, in addition to demanding ransoms of millions of dollars for the crews, rob the sailors of money and other goods they find on the ship or fishing boat. Seventy per cent of boardings are exclusively for the purpose of kidnapping, from which they often make a lot of money.

Countries have also reacted. Nigeria has announced an investment of nearly $200 million against piracy, while some of its neighbours have increased funds to combat boardings by 25 per cent.

Another threat in the Gulf is illegal fishing. An estimated 40 per cent of vessels fishing without international authorisations deplete the banks on which millions of people depend for their livelihoods. Many of these boats are Chinese. The loss to the economy of the area is around 500 million a year.

There is a serious lack of control by the coastal countries, which is well known to the fishing vessels that do not respect the minimum restrictive rules imposed on the other fleets.

Drug trafficking is another threat in the Gulf and affects Spain. It is estimated that 30 per cent of the drugs that reach Europe use this route, along with the so-called 'African' route, as opposed to the route used until now to reach the old continent, which was via the north Atlantic.

While terrorist groups have reduced their maritime activity, human traffickers have increased their activity in recent months. It is estimated that 50 per cent of the boats arriving in the Canary Islands leave from these coasts.

The EU has reached agreements with countries in the area and has become a global security provider "and promotes sustainable exploitation of the oceans".

Nine projects have been launched, including the so-called Yauunde architecture, an information exchange structure to combat the problems caused by these aggressions.

In 2021, the 'Coordinated Maritime Presences' initiative was launched, which has increased the maritime presence of European vessels thanks to the support of ten EU countries.

Spain has had a patrol vessel since 2010 in an area where between 20 and 30 per cent of the crude oil that our country needs for its energy needs circulates. It comes from Nigeria and Angola. Dozens of Spanish fishing vessels work in the area.

The Spanish Navy, in addition to patrolling in coordination with other EU navies, helps train crews from local countries so that they can be the ones to fight against the aggression in their seas in a few years' time.