Piracy in west Africa reaching dangerous proportions, says watchdog

The Bourbon Liberty 249 boat from which pirates kidnapped seven crew off the coast of Nigeria. Photograph: TOMASZ MOROZ / BOURBON HANDOUT/EPA

Piracy in west Africa is reaching dangerous proportions, the global piracy watchdog has said, with the increase in attacks fuelled by Nigerian criminals.
As efforts continue to rescue seven foreign workers kidnapped from a vessel off the coast of Nigeria earlier this week, the director of the international maritime bureau (IMB) warned that the region was now a major focal point for armed robberies at sea, and criticised the lack of efforts by governments in the region to tackle the problem.
While Somalia has recorded a decline in hijackings in recent months, incidents are on the rise in west Africa, with 32 reported by July this year. There were 25 in 2011. In Nigeria alone there were 17 reports, compared with six in 2011, with particularly high levels of violence against crew members by pirates armed with guns.

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