On February 1, 2025, the Master of the JSP Vento Cargo Ship, Transit 60nm Barat Bata, Guinea Equatorial, reported boarding. At night, 3 armed men boarded boats. After being detected, they left through the main deck, the port side. The ‘boat’ was then observed on the radar about 1 Nm from the ship. The boat followed the cargo ship for about 45 minutes before leaving the area.
Comment. This is the fourth incident in which ships that transmit this area have been stacked or approached in the last 90 days. Of the total 23 events recorded in 2024/5, 11 of the incident occurred in the last 3 months in the east of the region, with 9 incidents centered in waters near Guinea Equatorial, Gabon, Malabo, and Sao Tome and Principles.
Evaluation. The modus operandi displayed so far, and the new incident shows the possibility that is an active pirate action group (PAG) in the southeast of the Guinea Bay. PAG is likely to operate in this field to avoid operation to regional navy counter-piracy, which has significantly reduced the number of piracy incidents in countries such as Nigeria. Ship operations in the region must increase vigilance, get used to the suggestions for mitigation of threats given at West African BMP, and consider the use of armed security teams.
Source: P2P Neptunus Group
