African Pirates Invade the Modern Age

Michael Lin

The Medieval World History ET8A

Mr. Muenzler

24 March 2016

African Pirates invade the Modern Age

        Thunder roaring in the distance, a distraught captain watches in horror as his ship is boarded by Nigerian pirates. Soon, they would take full control of his crew and slaughter each and every one of them without mercy. Then the pirates would move on to loot the ship’s valuable cargo. Since the very existence of maritime travel, pirates have been a problem. In today’s modern world, cargo ships travelling along the African continent still encounter vicious pirates, especially in Nigeria, a country located in West Africa. Several world conferences have been held to discuss solutions to this problem, but piracy still remains. Caused by its ancestral roots, Nigerian piracy is becoming an increasingly severe problem today, and certain actions must be taken.

        Every single year, trading ships carrying precious cargo are attacked and looted by pirates, and hostages may even be taken during the assault. For example, on May 14th, 2013, an oil tanker, the MT Matrix was boarded by pirates off the coast of Nigeria (“Pirates Reportedly Hijack…”). Seventeen hostages were taken, and all of them were returned safely a month later, but only after the ransom was payed. Other than that, a single hijacking can cost a company $100 million worth in oil, one example is the Sirius Star, an oil tanker owned by Saudi Arabia (“Somali pirates…”). So, why are these pirates targeting ships transporting refined oil instead of other ones carrying more valuable cargos?

         The answer is simple; Nigeria is lacking refined oil supplies. Even though it produces up to two million barrels of oil per day, it can only refine 25%. Due to this, large amounts of crude oil are exported while refined oil remains scarce, creating a large demand for refined oil within Nigeria. Also, since oil pipes are buried in swamplands covered in plantation, pirate boats can easily hide themselves and break into these oil rich supply lines (“Nigeria’s Piracy…”). Once pirates get their hands on refined oil, they can sell them for a handsome sum in the black market, not at oil stations where they should be sold. This, combined with weak security and a poor governing body, it is a perfect environment for pirates. Though the reason today’s Nigerian pirates have such a big business is clear, where did the roots of Nigerian piracy originally spring from?

Beginning the search on the African continent, we can trace back this problem to the Medieval Ages. During the time, slavery was a common practice, and often times West African natives would be taken to be sold as slaves (“The History of Piracy”). However, during their voyage, several slave boats would be boarded by pirates, freeing the prisoners. These pirate crews would offer the freed slaves a spot among their ranks, motivated by the urge to free other slaves like them, several slaves agreed (“The History of Piracy”). This resulted in a majority of pirate crews having both professional pirates and ex-slaves. Since Westerners imprisoned their ancestors, modern day Nigerian pirates seek vengeance by boarding today’s trade ships. It could also be a result of society and culture accepting piracy during medieval times, leading to its acceptance in Nigerian culture today.