Theft and Piracy on Africa’s High Seas

A new report, released by the non-profit group Oceans Beyond Pirates, examines recent changes in the nature of piracy off the coasts of Africa.

An armed Somali pirate along the coastline while the Greek cargo ship MV Filitsa is seen anchored just off the shores of Hobyo Town in northeastern Somalia where it was then held by pirates, on Jan. 7, 2010. Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images

A report released this month by the nonprofit group Oceans Beyond Pirates examines recent changes in the nature of piracy off the coasts of Africa. For most of the last decade, piracy in the West Indian Ocean near Somalia has made it one of the world’s most dangerous regions for seafarers, and oil tankers in particular.

However, piracy rates in the West Indian Ocean have dropped significantly, thanks to a massive influx of resources from the global community. The past six years have seen a 90 percent drop in the number of hostages taken by Somali pirates, attributed to a reduction in the number of “safe havens” for pirates, as well as more aggressive sea patrols and additional support on the ground.

Yet, the same period has also seen a significant uptick in piracy off the coast of West Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea, near oil-rich Nigeria. Furthermore, cheap oil prices have compelled pirates to favor new tactics—focusing on taking hostages instead of on hijacking oil tankers. Capturing tankers is simply too great an investment of time and resources for these pirates, following two years of plummeting oil prices.