Oil Pirates Are Dangerously Close To U.S. Waters
Piracy is an age-old problem in the energy industry, often seen in West Africa and other regions of the world. However, following the rise of the phenomenon during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, pirates are nearing U.S. shores, presenting a new threat to the industry. Slow-moving oil tankers in the region present an easy target for pirates looking for a ransom opportunity. This has become an increasingly common event in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche, the origin of a significant proportion of U.S. oil, providing around 17 percent of the country’s crude oil and 5 percent of its natural gas.
“Recent piracy attacks in the Gulf of Mexico are a new development near U.S. waters,” Rockford Weitz, Director of Maritime Studies at Tufts University’s Fletcher School told Forbes earlier this month.
Source: oilprice.com
