Drones, Navies, Attack Boats: Will They be Enough to Tackle the World's Latest Piracy Hotspot?
Helicopters hover above a patrol vessel in Nigeria's frenetic Apapa port as attack boats zoom past. On the dock, drones emblazoned with the Nigerian flag sit ready to deploy – all part of a $195 million U.S.-backed "Deep Blue" initiative to deter pirate attacks in the world's most dangerous area for seafarers.The more than 2.35 million square kilometer (910,000 million square mile) expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that borders some 20 West African nations is known as "pirate alley"…
Lagos Port Drags on Africa's Top Economy
Ruling party reforms improved Apapa port; shippers still face delays and corruption. The road leading to the Lagos port, which handles nearly everything that Africa's biggest economy imports, is one of the most congested in a megacity whose traffic jams are legendary. Wide enough to accommodate only two lanes on either side, along it move the goods that Africa's top crude producer uses its huge oil receipts to buy -- everything from designer wear to dried fish, champagne and shampoo. The Apapa port is also one of the biggest bottlenecks in an economy throttled by power cuts and institutional dysfunction. Reforms to this behemoth by President Goodluck Jonathan and previous administrations of his People's Democratic Party (PDP) brought huge improvements over the past decade…
Dockers Union Orders Strike After Violence Erupts at Nigerian Port
A Nigerian dockers' union said on Thursday it had ordered a strike at Lagos' Apapa port after three men died, bringing the port to a standstill when it is struggling to clear the worst congestion for 25 years. The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said it had asked its members to stop work following an incident in which three men died after inhaling poisonous fumes on Wednesday. "We received a report yesterday that two of our members died at the Apapa port after inhaling dangerous gas while working on a vessel," union officer Tony Anyanwu said. Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) spokesman Babatunde Sanni said he was not aware of the deaths or any walkout by workers.
