Hansa Intl. Maritime Journal: ‘Navigating the Danger Zone’

Kidnappings of seafarers in the Gulf of Guinea have been a problem in the region for many years, yet attacks have spread more recently, affecting many countries across West and Central Africa. Image: Wikimedia Commons

West Africa analyst Dr. Dirk Siebels was asked by the Hansa International Maritime Journal to to provide a briefing on the thorough preparation required to mitigate risks to operations in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as an update on the situation and possible outlook for the July issue’s focus section on ‘Piracy and Maritime Security’.

5 July 2021

Ship operators and their crews are particularly concerned [by the situation in the Gulf of Guinea] because all types of vessels may come under attack”, writes Dr. Dirk Siebel in the briefing. Even vessels that are considered as complicated to board – such as LNG tankers or container ships underway – have been targeted. In January, one seafarer was even killed when the container ship MOZART was boarded, 15 other crew members were then kidnapped and later released after a ransom had been paid.

The MOZART incident highlighted the threat to seafarers when their ships operate in the Gulf of Guinea, writes Siebels, and recommends that ship operators do all they can to protect their crews. Individual companies cannot influence the overall threat level, but it is possible to mitigate the resulting risks for specific ships or certain types of operations. That includes a broad range of physical measures, namely those recommended in the BMP West Africa document, published in early 2020.

In the article, Siebels explains the key mitigation measures to consider and highlights how physical mitigation isn’t everything and crews must be equipped with the right tools to assess the threat and receive training in how to handle emergencies:

“[Preparation| includes thorough threat and risk assessments as well as situational awareness about current hotspots or ongoing incidents. In addition, regular security drills are a vital aspect of a comprehensive security posture – in case of an attack, every crew member has to know what to do immediately.

Full article can be found via subscription on: https://hansa-online.de/

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