North P&I Club has reminded members that two tankers had been hijacked within the past four weeks in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as a number of other attacks and kidnappings.
It said that because of this increase in piracy activity in the region, the Round Table of Shipping Associations and OCIMF were working with the International Coordination Centre (ICC) and navies to address security concerns.
Members were “strongly advised” to ensure that their vessels were suitably hardened prior to entry into the region, and that a full voyage risk assessment had been conducted.
Members were also encouraged to ensure they take part in the regions voluntary reporting system operated by Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) as outlined on British Admiralty security chart Q6114, thus ensuring that any delays in responding to an attack would be minimized.