For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com<br />Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision<br />Add us on Facebook ☛ http://facebook.com/NTDTelevision<br /><br />Special Forces have made a major dent in piracy off the coast of Somalia. But after 2 tankers are attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, analysts fear the pirates may be moving to new hunting grounds in West Africa.<br /><br />By sea and air, the world's finest military forces are hunting for pirates off the lawless Horn of Africa.<br /><br />This is a crime that costs the global economy 12 billion dollars a year.<br /><br />And now it looks like commanders may be getting results.<br /><br />The British navy says warships have stopped every hijacking attempt in the Gulf of Aden for almost a year.<br /><br />But according to Tracy Peverett from the International Maritime Organisation, this could be just a lull—during the monsoon storms.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />But while commanders focus their sights on Somalia, on the other side of Africa piracy is on the rise.<br /><br />Last week pirates attacked an Italian ship off the coast of Benin and seized a Greek tanker.<br /><br />Analysts say it's the same picture in the waters of West African nations like Cameroon and Nigeria.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />John Drake from security consultancy, AKE, says attacks in the region could have serious financial implications.<br /><br />[John Drake, Senior Risk Consultant, AKE Group]:<br />"A large amount of the shipping in the area is supplying the energy sector, so an increase in attacks, in the past, particularly in the Niger Delta, has led to a rise in oil prices. A repeat of instability and pirate attacks off the coast could again lead to a spike in prices; could cause concern on international markets. It could make it difficult for anyone to ship goods into ports along the coast which could lead to a rise in prices for commodities on the land in West Africa as well."<br /><br />As Special Forces mobilize off the coast of Somalia, they'll be hoping pirates haven't spotted a niche—4000 miles away on the opposite side of Africa.
