Petrol piracy also sometimes called oil piracy or petro-piracy, is an act of

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

that specifically involves petroleum resources, or their transportation, consumption, and regulation. It should not be confused with the term

oil war An oil war is a conflict about petroleum resources, or their transportation, consumption, or regulation. The term may also refer generally to any conflict in a region that contains oil reserves or is geographically positioned in a location where a ...

, as although both involve

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

, petrol piracy always involves at least one of the aggressors being

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

or boat-borne. Although it may seem not as prevalent in today's modern society due to plummeting oil prices and lower attack rates, a number of specific incidents have still occurred in-addition to the fact that, since the start of COVID-19 there has been an unprecedented resurgence in piracy incidents (petrol piracy-included). In contrast to traditional piracy, petroleum ships are generally targeted over merchant, as it serves as a means to fight back against 'resource control' within the region.

List of notable maritime petrol piracy acts

* Maritime Jewel (2002) **Previously called the 'MV LIMBURG', this oil tanker suffered an explosion and corresponding fire considered to be the result of an attack. * MV Sirius Star (2008) **This crude oil tanker was the largest ship to ever be attacked by pirates. * Nave Andromeda incident (2020) **The oil tanker 'Nave Andromeda' was the target of a suspected hijacking, involving 7 stowaways in October 2020. * Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (2021) **The MV MOZART was boarded by pirates in January 2021, and 1 crewman was killed in the event.

Increased activity in 2020 due to COVID-19

In the most recent copy of the IMB's piracy report, signs show of piracy activity doubling in areas with previously very low numbers. This is attributed due to a stronger economic downturn then usual, as a result of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Current hot-spots include areas like the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

and the Western African nation of

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

, an affluent jewel when it comes to illicit petroleum, due to its geographical positioning in relation to several sources of oil along the coast.

References

{{Reflist Piracy Petroleum

List of notable maritime petrol piracy acts

Increased activity in 2020 due to COVID-19

See also

References