Piracy On The West Coast Of Africa Now

(Image from the BBC)

Cameroon Oil Vessel's Crew Seized
-- BBC

Armed pirates in speedboats have boarded an oil vessel and kidnapped 10 crew members off the West African state of Cameroon.

The vessel's owners said those taken hostage were seven French nationals, two Cameroonians and a Tunisian.

The pirates attacked the boat at an oilfield near the Cameroonian coast in the Gulf of Guinea.

There have been a number of attacks against oil installations in Gulf of Guinea states over the past year.

A diplomat in Cameroon said the raid had happened near the Bakassi Peninsula, which is on the country's border with Nigeria.

Attacks on oil installations in Nigeria's nearby Niger Delta have been especially frequent, and the diplomat told AFP news agency that the boarding of the vessel off Cameroon resembled recent raids in the Delta.

The vessel, the Bourbon Sagitta, is owned by the French maritime services company Bourbon.

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My Comment: If a firm response is not implemented against African pirates, piracy from Africa will expand exponentially. The crippling to sea traffic .... in particular oil shipments .... will be costly to everyone