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Special Forces have made a major dent in piracy off the coast of Somalia. But after 2 tankers are attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, analysts fear the pirates may be moving to new hunting grounds in West Africa.
By sea and air, the world's finest military forces are hunting for pirates off the lawless Horn of Africa.
This is a crime that costs the global economy 12 billion dollars a year.
And now it looks like commanders may be getting results.
The British navy says warships have stopped every hijacking attempt in the Gulf of Aden for almost a year.
But according to Tracy Peverett from the International Maritime Organisation, this could be just a lull—during the monsoon storms.
[...]
But while commanders focus their sights on Somalia, on the other side of Africa piracy is on the rise.
Last week pirates attacked an Italian ship off the coast of Benin and seized a Greek tanker.
Analysts say it's the same picture in the waters of West African nations like Cameroon and Nigeria.
[...]
John Drake from security consultancy, AKE, says attacks in the region could have serious financial implications.
[John Drake, Senior Risk Consultant, AKE Group]:
"A large amount of the shipping in the area is supplying the energy sector, so an increase in attacks, in the past, particularly in the Niger Delta, has led to a rise in oil prices. A repeat of instability and pirate attacks off the coast could again lead to a spike in prices; could cause concern on international markets. It could make it difficult for anyone to ship goods into ports along the coast which could lead to a rise in prices for commodities on the land in West Africa as well."
As Special Forces mobilize off the coast of Somalia, they'll be hoping pirates haven't spotted a niche—4000 miles away on the opposite side of Africa.
