Despite the lull that has prevailed in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea since 2023, Nigeria, considered to be the pirates' main rear base, has adopted a policy of prevention, in line with the recommendations of the International Maritime Bureau.

The Nigerian Ports Authority recently launched the deployment of 7 new patrol vessels to secure the country's inland and international waters. The specialized vessels will be used to detect, deter and intervene militarily against threats of piracy, theft, attacks, drug trafficking and more.

"These patrol vessels enable Nigeria to take a further step in bringing the country into compliance with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization's International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. Their deployment will enable the Nigeria Ports Authority to meet the fundamental security requirement of promoting port security for the protection of ships and securing port assets," said NPA DG Mohammed Bello-Koko.

This comes 3 days after the Nigerian Navy boarded and arrested the Sweet Miri, a vessel suspected of smuggling around 2 million liters of crude oil, and which had been under surveillance for some time, according to Rear Admiral MB Hassan. The tanker was stopped by the patrol vessel Beercroft, some 174 nautical miles off the coast, as part of Operation Delta Sanity.

Nigerian waters are among the most pirate-infested in the Gulf of Guinea maritime range, with numerous armed groups causing an upsurge in attacks in the region in 2020.

The rise in piracy had prompted several shipping companies to boycott the country's ports or impose high freight rates for goods at their destination, costing the national economy nearly 26 billion USD every year, according to the authorities.

Agence Ecofin