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           Pirates Take Break in SE Asia, but Busy in Gulf of Guinea

   by Steve Herman

   A "remarkable" decline in maritime piracy in Southeast Asia has been
   recorded for the first quarter of this year; however, attacks have
   significantly escalated in the northernmost part of the tropical
   Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa.

   During the first three months of the year, only 13 maritime crime cases
   were reported in Southeast Asia, compared to 35 for the same period
   last year, according to a global report by Dryad Maritime, released
   early Tuesday in London.

   It is the lowest number recorded in 10 years by Dryad, which provides
   information and analysis on attacks and incidents.

   "Primarily, we believe that this is because the criminal gangs have
   come under a lot of pressure. They've been subject to a proactive
   effort in law enforcement and also in deterrence," said the
   consultancy's chief operating officer, Ian Millen.

   "This is quite a remarkable turnaround in a little over six months and
   it's a testament to those who have been involved in combating the
   crime," Millen told VOA. "The Australians have been involved in
   assisting the region with some of these issues. If you look at
   countries in particular -- Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh -- we see
   more effective patrolling by these countries, which has helped with the
   situation, of course."

   Recent incidents

   So far, Jakarta is the only Southeast Asian port where more than one
   incident has been reported this year.

   The region's most serious recent incident has been the hijack of a tug
   and barge carrying coal from Indonesia to the Philippines. The tug was
   ransacked, the tow abandoned and ten crew members kidnapped. The Abu
   Sayyaf group has issued a $1 million ransom demand.

   The Philippine military says 18 of its soldiers were killed and more
   than 50 others were wounded Saturday in Basilan province during a
   10-hour firefight with extremists of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic State ally.

   Gulf of Guinea, an upswing

   In the Gulf of Guinea, the north-easternmost part of the tropical
   Atlantic Ocean, there has been an upswing in maritime piracy, in stark
   contrast to the trend in Southeast Asia.

   Attacks against oil pipelines and facilities ashore around the Niger
   Delta have escalated there, "deterring major international companies
   from investing in the region for fear of suffering huge financial and
   logistical losses," according to the Dryad report.''

   "It's simple, it's effective, it's profitable and it's low risk,"
   Millen told VOA. "The pirates there are even doing this in the daylight
   now, and they operate with almost impunity."

   There have been 14 attacks on commercial vessels off Nigeria's Rivers
   and Bayelsa states. However, eight of the raids were thwarted by crews
   taking evasive maneuvers. But in the six which succeeded, a total of 23
   crewmembers were kidnapped for ransom.

   "European and American seafarers remain the most lucrative kidnap and
   ransom target," according to the Dryad report.

   "In the Gulf of Guinea, the worrying trend is that we will probably see
   a lot more [kidnappings]. The good news is that we will probably see a
   lot less of product tanker hijack," Millen predicted.

   Nigeria's navy has not been very responsive and lacks the effectiveness
   to confront the pirates, according to analysts.

   Activity elsewhere

   Another significant development is that there has not been an attack on
   a commercial vessel by Somali pirates in more than two years, according
   to Oceans Beyond Piracy, an independent non-profit organization
   established to develop a response to maritime piracy.

   Maritime crime throughout the rest of the world continues to decline,
   with just 15 incidents reported to Dryad in the first quarter of the
   year. The majority of these case -- eight incidents -- have been
   attacks on yachts in the Caribbean.

   Notably, there have been no instances of piracy in the Indian Ocean
   High Risk Area during the first quarter of 2016, but reports of
   suspicious craft in the Gulf of Aden persist.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pirates-break-southeast-asis-busy-gulf-guinea/3280786.html