The photo shows Nigeria navy warships Okpaban, Centenary, Sagbama and Prosperity at the Naval Dockyard in Victoria Island, Nigeria. (Xinhua file photo)
A marked decrease in maritime crime and piracy has been recorded in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea due to an increase in Nigerian Navy patrols.
ABUJA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Recent records had shown drop in maritime crime and piracy in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, head of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said here Tuesday.
Addressing the ongoing Global Maritime Security Conference holding in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, Dakuku Peterside, NIMASA's director-general, said there have been improvement through different initiatives to tackle maritime insecurity.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), 73 percent of all sea kidnapping and 92 percent of hostage-takings occur in the Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon.
Recently, the organization has noted "a welcome and marked decrease" in attacks in the region due to an increase in Nigerian Navy patrols.
Twenty-one incidents have been recorded around Nigeria as of July this year, compared to 31 in the same period of 2018, said Peterside.
The Nigerian official however reiterated the need for more partnership and collaboration between relevant stakeholders to tackle the maritime insecurity menace in the region.
Peterside told his audience that safe and secured waterways will boost maritime transportation in Nigeria and in the continent.
He said member states in the region had agreed to deal with the issue of insecurity of waterways from its roots and had developed initiatives to ensure this. ■
