Beware, the bight of benin.

[Captain Kong]

When I was a lad in the old Sailing ship days I was told," Beware the Bight of Benin, many white men go in, very few come out." I guess in todays world things are very much the same , tho` for different reasons.
.
I have been sent this interesting notice...........
.
Maritime Instability in the Gulf of Guinea
Date: September 2011
Introduction
“Beware and take heed of the Bight of Benin, where few come out but many go in! “
Today's seafarers trading not in slaves but in crude oil and petroleum products will do well to heed any warning about Benin, even these words from the old sea shanty about malaria. For this year, there have been 18 separate attacks on tankers and others, either at anchor, nearing the port of Cotonou or during STS transfers offshore. Evidence shows good planning for skilled operations by crews of English speaking criminals.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recently reports: “A surge in particularly violent and highly organized attacks has hit the coast of West Africa this year. All were off Benin, an area where no incidents were reported in 2010. Vessels were hijacked and forced to sail to unknown locations, where pirates ransacked and stole vessel's equipment and part of the product oil cargoes. Further tankers were boarded, mainly in violent armed robbery style attacks.” Off Nigeria, IMB reported further boardings, where “ships were fired upon, crews beaten and threatened and ship's equipment and crew's personal effects stolen.” The IMB stresses that, “in reality, the seas around Nigeria are more dangerous than reported.” It is aware of many more incidents, unreported to the Piracy Reporting Centre by ships masters or owners. This fault is endemic in the region, exacerbates slow reaction and hinders proper counter-measures.
Gulf of Guinea Region: Current deteriorating Situation
Piracy – or armed robbery at sea - is neither new to the Gulf of Guinea nor to Nigeria or Cameroon. Attacks occur out to some 30 km offshore in national or coastal waters, thus avoiding the 'act of piracy' defined by International Law, which, semantically, takes place on the ' high seas.' In mid July a Times leader ran: “The success of Somali maritime terrorists has encouraged others: the coast of West Africa is now almost as dangerous as the Arabian Sea, with tankers hijacked off Nigeria and Benin.” On 5 August 2011, in response to the recent spate of activity, the Joint War Committee, representing Lloyds of London underwriters and other insurers, extended a war-risk zone for Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, to 200 nm offshore. This included the waters off Benin and listed the areas as higher risk for shipping.
If these maritime elements were the only problems for an area dubbed 'of vital interest ' by the USA, life would be simpler. But West Africa continues to be a region of paradox. Its terrain, its littoral offshore, both on and beyond the Continental shelf, yield more and more vital oil, gas and minerals for a hungry, overcrowded world competing for resources. Simultaneously however, poverty waxes among millions in what should be financially secure states, but where their dictators, ministers, military and police divert national profits for self and greed. Creaking and top- heavy bureaucracies with sinecures-for-friends put on a show of governance. It might be funny if it were not self destructive, since essential law enforcement services show similar lack of address.
Major Factors contributing to Instability:
• The Sub-Saharan conflict belt has dumped thousands of young ' veterans,' qualified only in use of firearms and aggression, into unemployment after decades of every stripe of civil war, ethnic unrest, coups and wars. This gives rise to 'militarisation of crime' in West Africa, both ashore and afloat. Not far away is Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), moving south, and ready to suborn weak or failed states, funded by cocaine revenue and protection money.
• The Niger Delta unrest over some twenty years is now calmer after a 2009 amnesty. The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta – (MEND) – used years of violence, kidnap, ransom, even murder, to attack SHELL's facilities and personnel and those of other major oil producers. Anger boiled over at pollution of habitation areas, while local tribes received nothing in recompense or in profit-sharing. MEND resorted to the gun and extortion. Up to 25 % oil production was lost for long periods and world oil prices spiked. Nigerian light, sweet oil is a quality product: low in sulphur and in refining cost, as is most crude from this region but not as much as Nigeria's.
• In 2004 Colombian cartels arrived in West Africa, fleeing drug-busting success at home and en route to lucrative markets. European 'coke' demand spiked and the 'haven from heaven' was found in Guinea Bissau: a porous maze of islands, complete with old airstrips for illegal imports by air and sea, while corrupt and weak security forces looked away. Since this jackpot, drug barons have landed billions of Euros worth and 60 % of Europe's demand for South America's 'pure' in West Africa. More sinister yet is the combination of the 'world's first narco-state' in a region as politically unstable as it is mineral rich - and its established links with AQIM, who fund their operations from drug revenues. This new transit hub to supply the market is thus a serious destabilising element of international concern.
• The growing success story of Somali Piracy's business model is now spreading to the Gulf of Guinea. Numbers of attacks, violence levels and good planning are all increasing to make this region every bit as dangerous as the Indian Ocean, if for different motives. West African criminal ingenuity will find ways to copy Somalia's safe havens. Beware heavily-armed and protected coastal enclaves morphing into ungoverned space. If drug barons can do it off Guinea Bissau, local pirates with local knowledge can follow suit.
• The second 'Scramble for Africa' in oil, gas and minerals is in progress but comes with huge cost in resource competition, one of today's many threats to peace. China – now Africa's biggest trading client – has deals all over the continent to extract, mine, produce and export to feed its vast industrial maw. In return China builds transport infra-structure and settles its people to run retail business. America and Europe wanted a quick fix post 9/11/01 for non-Mid East energy resources. In 2009 the US declared the Gulf of Guinea 'an area of vital interest' as its West African oil imports hit 15 %, set to rise to 25 % by 2015. Thus, strategic and commercial pressures ratchet up on this whole region. China and America are rival maritime powers- everywhere. China is paranoid about US threats to her long sea-lines of communication – (SLOCs) through the Malacca and Singapore Straits. USA and Europe have shorter but no less vital SLOCs without choke points. The Gulf of Guinea's maritime security and stability could not be at a higher premium.
• Increased regional oil and gas exploration and production (E and P) may look good for Big Oil's shares and national revenues but also reveals 'low-hanging fruit' for armed robbery and organized crime in the littoral. Flows from Ghana's Jubilee field's first oil at end 2010 will increase, as will Equatorial Guinea's, while Nigerian and Angolan deep water E and P pushes ever further off the continental shelf. A Nigerian gang attacked Shell's Bonga field facilities 60 nm offshore only a few years ago. Conversely, Ghana's windfall has concentrated her minds on the importance of national maritime security.
Regional Balance Sheet: Effective Maritime Security vs Less
For too long West African military investment has been land and army-centric. None of its myriad wars had a maritime dimension. Now in the 21st Century, a new mindset is needed. Maritime crime threatens to undermine all the credits from trading its rich resources:
• Total illegal maritime crime costs Nigeria $US 18.5billion p.a.
• Oil theft-'bunkering'- costs Nigeria some $US 11billion p.a. or 12 % of daily production
• Illegal/ unregulated/ unreported fishing causes annual regional losses of $US 1billion
• Illegal dumping of toxic waste at sea poisons fisheries and damages environment
• Nigeria now has to import 7 – 900 000 tonnes of fish p.a. at vast extra cost
• Weapons trafficking fuels conflict; human trafficking/sex trade exploits Africans
• Uncollected customs fees are lost revenue; piracy increases shipping costs/affects aid
• Regional/civil instability yields partial then permanent loss of trade/resource revenues loss of foreign investment; even loss of tourism and agriculture revenues.
Whereas the Region realises the causes of piracy and general instability must be met ashore by long-term and in-depth social measures to reduce poverty and boost education and employment, the short term's needs for coordinated and concerted action afloat must be accelerated. Current maritime forces need to be on their toes in a 24/7 battle versus non-state actors: asymmetric, alert and quick on their feet, with access to money and greed for more of the same.
Forces Balance Sheet: Regional Input vs Others
After years of talking at costly conferences by the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa- (MOWCA) and other such bodies, the one Institution that has made progress in advising, training and visiting this vital Region is the US Navy. There has been a continuous programme of development under a number of different initiatives, all aimed at building capacity and at regional partners taking up their own cudgels. The mission statement is clear: “Build maritime safety and security capabilities in the African Area of Responsibility with partner nations using an at-sea training platform that provides persistent regional presence with minimal footprint ashore.” But the American umbrella will not last: USA has announced its own swingeing defence cuts and is shifting its strategic emphasis to the Pacific and East Asia. Meanwhile Britain and Europe 'look in' on West Africa at short, sporadic stops between Atlantic standing commitments, with big shiny, hi-tech. ships, where many cheaper, smaller frigates for such constabulary duties are what is needed. But overall, shared interests are the message, due to African maritime SLOCs being globally and strategically vital.
Nigeria has augmented its Navy by its own plans and by donation of 7 used USCG cutters in 2003. Now they have to continue to use, exercise and maintain them. Prevention of such incidents as in March 2008, when 5 naval gunboats exploded in mysterious circumstances at Port Harcourt, due to electrical faults, with four boats destroyed, is a must. This type of loss reinforces the belief that local maritime constabulary forces lack operational capacity to patrol effectively.
A prominent speaker delivered a wakeup call to all regional stakeholders at the recent West African Combating Piracy conference. Lawlessness ashore leads to lawlessness at sea. It took 18 months to get Government action to send the EU Naval Force to suppress piracy off Somalia. This is not being addressed in or by West Africa. If a stowaway can board any ship, so can a terrorist with a WMD. Reporting is not happening: increased and correct reports will awake awareness. Political blindness breeds sea-blindness. Problems of circular causation are evident in this region: no investment due to lack of trust; no investment due to political instability. Build trust and grow investment; communicate effectively intra-regionally. Establish regional mechanisms and achieve political stability ashore; without it, there is no lasting solution. Sustain terrestrial intelligence and conduct national law enforcement.
All of the Sub Saharan EEZs are protected by a total of:
 5 FFs – frigates
 18 Coast Guard craft
 7 MPA (Military Patrol Aircraft)
 60 miscellaneous patrol craft: all to cover an area of 8 million kmē
The Gulf of Guinea needs a minimum of twice these numbers of assets operating 24/7. The shipping industry is opposed to armed parties in merchant vessels. It is Government's duty to ensure freedom of navigation in their waters and on the high seas and to protect the right of innocent passage. The ISPS code and BMP 4 need implementing rigorously. Both are working well in the Indian Ocean. A concerted regional approach must be made to the international oil industry for a contribution to capacity building. It is vital that, either international governments must sniff the geopolitical coffee – or face the consequences.
It is also abundantly clear that that a large dose of political will and specific investment was needed by the Region and quickly. This 'Area of Vital Interest' is the next big political failure waiting to happen and it is too important to do so.
It is also important to note that the prediction of the well known Naval Strategist Admiral Mahan, should underline any debate on Maritime Security today. He stated that the world's future in the 21st. century would be played out in the Indian Ocean. Here, with China's provocative 'string of pearls' bases still building today to encircle India's sub-continent and with India's response in kind, the contingency exists of escalation to high-end war at sea. This would back-fire, affecting trade, SLOCs between West Africa and China and African economies.
These global factors concerning maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea present a golden opportunity to invite China to step forward and join the party with its new, expanding PLAN Navy, alongside America and the West. Further, such mutual cooperation would draw the sting from future escalation to greater rivalry and threat of combat.