This article on “The Maritime Executive” shows how the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) have called on governments to do more to prevent the rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, most particularly off Nigeria.
According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau data, there was a noticeable increase in the number of reported incidents off Nigeria in 2016 (36 compared to 14 in 2015). There were 54 attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.
ECSA would like to see several measures taken including proper protection by coastal states, investigation of the potential use of private maritime security guards by shipowners and the establishment of effective judicial systems.
Information sharing and transparency about the situation in the maritime security domain should be available through trusted reporting centers.
An efficient and well working reporting and coordination system to respond to incidents is also required. Initiatives could focus on providing technical assistance in areas such as ship maintenance and repair and through sharing of best practices. One such example is the launch and implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Inter-regional Network (GoGIN), as it aims to facilitate the cooperation between the 19 Gulf of Guinea coastal countries by setting up an effective and technically efficient network for the exchange of information and further coordination.
ECSA also encourages E.U. member states to actively contribute to the maritime security outside the territorial waters in cooperation with regional states and coordinate the deployment of naval vessels.
For more information about GoGIN visit the CMR page of the project and its website.
