There has been an abrupt incessant attack on trawler vessels in the Niger Delta region disrupting fishing activities and life of the seafarers, a maritime expert and consultant to the International Labour Organization (ILO), Captain Thomas Kemewerigha has said.
Kemewerigha who raised the alarm during a round table meeting with maritime journalists under the aegis of Maritime Correspondent Organization of Nigeria (MARCON), held yesterday in Lagos, stressed the need for the Nigerian government to look beyond attacks on pipeline installations in the region, even as he noted that human lives at sea was at risk.
According to him, there had been precisely seven attacks on fishing trawlers within the Bayelsa and Rivers States coast in the last ten days, even as he lampooned the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy for being docile in their operations.
The former President, Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association reiterated that the area of major concern within the nation’s territory waters within Latitude 04*.16,000 nautical miles, long.005*00.000E to latitude.
The expert added that the prone areas of attack within the South-South coast include: Middleton Rivers, Kulama Rivers, Fish Town Rivers, Akassa Rivers, Pennington Rivers and Brass River offshore shores.
He said that those aforementioned areas have turned to be free areas for sea pirate to show their abilities on defenseless seafarers by way of forcefully collecting their valuable.
He alleged that sea robbers and pirates recently have been killing and maiming sailors on board fishing trawlers , containers vessels and offshore supply vessels.
Speaking further he said, “Various pirate attack had been experienced since on 14th of January 2016 till date. Within the mentioned period, over seven attacks have been recorded on fishing vessels and vessels working for Chevron Nigeria Limited to mention but a few.
“Pirates are having a field day on these vessels, the areas are not patrolled by the Nigerian Navy or NIMASA, hence leaving the seafarers on board these vessels, defenseless, which has in some cases led to loss of lives and valuable properties of seafarers as earlier mentioned.
“We strongly appeal to the federal government to instruct as a matter of urgency the Navy, NIMASA and other relevant authorities to immediately commence an efficient patrolling of these areas to avert the killing of defenseless seafarers who are going about their legal duties”
Kemewerigha also revealed that the incessant attack on such craft had been reported International Maritime Bureau (IMB)’s piracy reporting centre for the purpose to the send the signal on how volatile the Bayelsa and Rivers states coasts are at the moment.
The ILO expert further pointed out that, “We draw the attention of the federal government of Nigeria, the Navy and NIMASA who are saddled with the responsibility of policing our territorial waters to look into incessant piracy attack on vessels within our territorial waters”, he added.
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