United States warns about pirates in Gulf of Mexico

U.S. Government issued an alert about the danger posed by pirates to ships and oil installations in the southern Gulf of Mexico, in the latest sign of concern about Mexico's continuing security challenges.

"Armed criminal groups have been known to target and rob commercial vessels, oil platforms, and offshore supply vessels in the Bay of Campeche area in the southern Gulf of Mexico," the U.S. State Department stated.

In the bulletin, the overall risk level for Mexico remained the same, but the warning comes after a number of reported incidents in recent months including a November attack on an Italian flagged vessel off Campeche state.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office a year ago pledging to bring down the record rates of gang violence in the region. On the contrary, last year's murders hit a new peak and remained high this year.

Maritime Business World