The Gulf of Mexico saw an increase in piracy incidents in 2022 compared to 2021.
This is according to Dryad Global Analyst Andrea Peniche Cobo, who told Rigzone that these incidents occurred mainly in the Bay of Campeche.
When asked why this trend occurred, Cobo said that the period of Covid-19 led to an increase in the level of insecurity in Mexico.
“While this took many forms throughout Mexico, in the Gulf of Mexico this meant a decrease in the level of security personnel in Mexican waters and around the platforms, a decrease in socioeconomic conditions, and an increase in ‘arming organized crime groups,’ Cobo said.
“So not only did a decline in socioeconomic conditions likely lead to an increase in piracy, but a lack of security personnel also expanded the opportunity to do so,” Cobo added.
“While this has not greatly affected drilling and actual oil production, hacking incidents disrupt personnel and put their lives at risk,” Cobo continued.
The increase in attacks may affect companies’ willingness to operate inside the Gulf of Mexico, affect personnel willing to work on those platforms and cause disruptions in the traffic of support vessels to the platforms, the analyst said Dryad Global in Rigzone.
Looking at what’s happening this year, Cobo said that through 2023, there has been a sharp decline in reported hacking incidents.
“However, it is very likely that this absence of reports does not mean the absence of incidents,” Cobo warned.
“This is an area that has always been severely underreported, especially when it comes to attacks on platforms or supply ships,” Cobo added.
“While reports indicate that platforms have increased their security, it is unlikely that this has yet had much effect on the incident rate, as the root drivers of hacking activity have not improved Cobo continued.
The Dryad Global analyst also stated that corruption levels in Mexico have not decreased.
“Therefore, law enforcement is likely to have delayed responses and incomplete reports,” Cobo said.
“However, since pirates in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to associate with local criminal groups rather than cartels and tend to commit theft of valuable equipment and materials, they are unlikely to target tankers and much larger ships Cobo added.
Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which was released earlier this year, ranks Mexico 126th out of a list of 180 countries. The CPI places Denmark first and Somalia last.
Transparency International describes itself as an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization that works with like-minded partners around the world “to end the injustice of corruption”. The IPC ranks 180 countries and territories around the world according to perceived levels of public sector corruption.
Substantial risk
Dryad’s latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory (MSTA) report, which was released on June 20, rates Mexico’s risk rating as “substantial” and the port terminal’s risk rating of Two Bocas of the country as “moderate”. These risk ratings were identical to Dryad Global’s previous MSTA, which was released on June 12.
Countries with the highest risk rating in the latest MSTA include Ukraine, Yemen and Syria, all designated “critical.”
At the time of writing, a U.S. State Department map warns travelers to use extra caution in all Mexican states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, except for Taumalipas, which has a no-travel advisory. and Yucatan and Campeche, which have “normal precautions”. ” advice.
“Violent crime … is widespread and common in Mexico,” notes a Mexico travel advisory posted on the State Department’s website.
“The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, services local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities,” he adds.
In a previous MSTA published in November last year, Dryad stated that the Gulf of Mexico remained an area of increasing instability. In this MSTA, Dryad revealed that reports had indicated that an OSV had been boarded and stolen off the coast of Campeche. Reports had also indicated that a series of three incidents involving attacks on fishing vessels had occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, “resulting in the theft of outboard motors and other property,” Dryad noted in this MSTA.
In September 2022, Dryad Global CEO Corey Ranslem revealed to Rigzone that the most dangerous offshore region for oil and gas, in terms of rig work, was the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico..
Annual report
Earlier this month, Dryad Global released an annual report on the state of maritime security, which the company noted included the latest information on analysis of the Gulf of Mexico, Libya, Ukraine, the Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Indian Ocean.
In a statement published on its site accompanying the release of the report, Dryad stated that dramatic developments in the risk of war, illegal territorial expansion, cybercrime and global health issues significantly challenged the maritime industry in 2022.
“As the world’s largest and perhaps most vital industry, shipping is particularly vulnerable to risks caused by geopolitical events,” Dryad said in the statement.
“Never before has the threat to the commercial maritime market been so multifaceted and required unbiased and nuanced analysis,” the company added.
To contact the author, please send an email andreas.exarcheas@rigzone.com
