by Saliou Samb (Reuters) China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) signed a $770 million contract with Guinea's government on Monday to upgrade the port in the capital, Conakry, expanding Chinese economic influence in the West African iron and bauxite producer. Under the contact, CHEC, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Co Ltd, will construct three … [Read more...]
Pirates Storm Container Ship Off Guinea
CONAKRY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Pirates stormed a container ship off the coast of Guinea on Wednesday, making off with money and some of its cargo but leaving the crew unharmed, the government said. They fired guns and briefly held the crew hostage while they were looting the ship named Wendok, Guinea government spokesman Albert Camara said by telephone. He did not have … [Read more...]
Pirates in Gulf of Guinea Switch to Kidnapping Crew Amid Oil Price Slump
By Jonathan Saul LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Pirate gangs in West Africa are switching to kidnapping sailors and demanding ransom rather than stealing oil cargoes as low oil prices have made crude harder to sell and less profitable, shipping officials said on Tuesday. Attacks in the Gulf of Guinea - a significant source of oil, cocoa and metals for world markets - have … [Read more...]
UN Urges Stronger Regional Approach to Gulf of Guinea Piracy
The United Nations Security Council has called for a comprehensive regional framework to eradicate piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, stressing the importance of addressing underlying causes and strengthening justice systems and judicial cooperation in the region. “The Security Council remains deeply concerned about the threat that piracy and armed … [Read more...]
Gulf of Guinea Sees Piracy Drop as Oil Price Deters Looters
By Divine Ramzi (Bloomberg) -- Piracy in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea has declined as the price of oil plunged to the lowest level since 2002. While attacks on maritime vessels have dropped in the past year, nations bordering the gulf should work to continue improving security coordination, Gulf of Guinea Commission Executive Secretary Florentina Adenike Ukonga said in an … [Read more...]
Ivory Coast Considers Satellite in Fight Against Pirates
By Olivier Monnier (Bloomberg) -- Ivory Coast is considering launching a satellite to combat security threats from pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and Islamist militants in the West African region, Telecommunications Minister Bruno Kone said. “We’ve decided to conduct a technical and economic study that will tell us the relevance of such a project,” Kone said by phone on … [Read more...]
Tribunal Blocks Ghana From Drilling New Wells in Disputed Seas, But “TEN” Field Development Can Move Ahead
HAMBURG, April 25 (Reuters) - An international maritime tribunal on Saturday ruled that Ghana can continue developing a $4.9 billion dollar offshore oil project in an area caught up in a border dispute with Ivory Coast but must not start new drilling. The decision is positive for the government of Ghana and for British firm Tullow, which leads a consortium developing the … [Read more...]