Page 20: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2014)

Maritime Crime Continues at PaceIn October, Dryad Maritime released the global latest piracy statistics. The Q3 mari- time crime Þ gures show that piracy is con- tinuing across the globe at similar levels to Q2, with incidents of cargo theft in Southeast Asia continuing to rise. Dryad also reports a 27% drop in crime overall between Q2 to Q3, but at the same time points to the continuing attacks that are happening across the globe as reported in Q2. According to Ian Millen, Dryad Mari- timeÕs Chief Operating OfÞ cer, ÒThe number of attacks across the globe shows that maritime crime and piracy remain a threat to the ship- ping industry, with both cargo theft and kidnap- ping high on the agenda for organized criminal gangs. We can expect to see a continuation in incidents of boarding and cargo theft in South- east Asia and in the Gulf of Guinea as criminal groups continue to prey upon the vulnerable and the unprepared.Ó The Gulf of Guinea has seen 15 conÞ rmed criminal incidents, compared with 22 in Q1 and 14 in Q2. The spike in the number of kidnap- ping incidents that occurred in Nigerian waters in Q1 of 2014 was followed by a break in such criminality, with just one further report being received in the Þ ve month period thereafter. However, on 14 August pirates boarded a sup- port vessel south of Brass and two crewmem- bers were abducted for ransom. A similar raid followed on 18 September when pirates kid- napped Þ ve seafarers from another vessel. As is nearly always the case, both incidents occurred after midnight in areas just outside of the 12 nm TTW policed by the Nigerian Navy. Acts of criminality have shifted west to the maritime border area between Ghana and Togo and this trend continued with another abduction in the same area where MT Fair Artemis succumbed to the same fate in June. Nigerian based syndi- cates conducted both acts of piracy. No further successful hijackings of tankers have occurred, but the intent to do so remains; MT SP Bos- ton was attacked overnight on 27 August off the Ivory Coast. The motive for the attack was once again to steal its cargo, but the gang found Miti Insights20 | Maritime Professional | 4Q 201418-33 Q4 MP2014.indd 2018-33 Q4 MP2014.indd 2011/17/2014 11:14:46 AM11/17/2014 11:14:46 AM