page_title: Offshore installation security
section_title: Geographical considerations
hierarchical_section_title: Offshore installation security / Geographical considerations
caption_attribution_description: English: West African Nations with Coastlines on the Gulf of Guinea
context_page_description: Offshore installation security is the protection of maritime installations from intentional harm. As part of general maritime security, offshore installation security is defined as the installation's ability to combat unauthorized acts designed to cause intentional harm to the installation. The security of offshore installations is vital as not only may a threat result in personal, economic, and financial losses, but it also concerns the strategic aspects of the petroleum market and geopolitics.
  Offshore installations refer to offshore platforms, oil platforms, and various types of offshore drilling rigs. It also is a general term for mobile and fixed maritime structures which includes facilities that are intended for exploration; drilling; the production, processing, or storage of hydrocarbons, and other related activities regarding the processing of fluids lying beneath the seabed. Offshore installations are most commonly engaged in drilling actions located in the continental shelf of a country and form a major part of the petroleum industry's upstream sector.
context_section_description: The security of an offshore installation stands in close relation to its geographical location. Even though attacks have taken place in all regions of the world, most occurred in political and economically unstable countries.  The majority of these, more than 60%, took place off the coast of Nigeria. This raised the notion that there are national and regional dimensions that must be considered.
  Regions of heightened concern include the following:
  Gulf of Guinea with more than 60% of the attacks taking place there
  Bay of Benegal and the Asia Pacific region due to civil unrest onshore
  Persian Gulf which is in an oil rich region
  Indian Ocean specifically around the Horn of Africa
caption: Gulf of Guinea
exif: {}