The EU strengthens its cooperation efforts with partners in the Gulf of Guinea

Articles, Cooperation, ECCAS, ECOWAS, EU, GGC, Gulf of Guinea, IMO/IMB, Nigeria

The EU is strengthening its cooperation and coordination efforts in the Gulf of Guinea. On 7 April, the first ever Joint Event on Strengthening Nigeria – EU Cooperation on Maritime Security was held in Lagos at the Nigerian Navy’s Western Naval Command (WNC). The event was attended by the EU Senior Coordinator for the Gulf…

The European Council extended the mandates of Operation ATALANTA, EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Somalia

African Union, Articles, Cooperation, EU, EUCAP Somalia, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery, Somalia, Somaliland

The European Council has prolonged the mandates of Operation ATALANTA, and of its two Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions – EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Somalia – until the 31st of December 2022. The decision of the Council aims to strengthen maritime security at large in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. Since its…

Preventing ecological disasters through information sharing: the Mauritius oil spill

Articles, Blue Economy, Cooperation, CRIMARIO, EU, Indian Ocean, Information sharing, IOC, IORIS, marine pollution, Mauritius, MDA/MDV

On 25 July 2020, the bulk carrier MV Wakashio, en route from Japan to Brazil, ran aground on a reef at Pointe d’Esny on the south-eastern coast of Mauritius. Although not carrying any cargo, the vessel was transporting more than 4100 tonnes of oil which, after the collision with the reef, began leaking into the…

Piracy makes a comeback off the coast of Somalia with new attack

Articles, East Africa, EU, EU NAVFOR, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery, Seychelles, Somalia, Somaliland

Between 21 and 23 April, a suspected pirate gang attacked one Korean and one Spanish fishing vessels off the Somali coast, before being apprehended by EU NAVFOR Atalanta. These were the first attempted pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa since October last year. The suspected pirates hijacked a Yemeni dhow on 19 April and…

Dakar hosts an international meeting on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea

Articles, Atlantic Ocean, Blue Economy, ECCAS, ECOWAS, EU, GGC, GoGIN, Information sharing, maritime security, Senegal, Training

On 9 and 10 April, after more than two years of implementation, GoGIN brings together its stakeholders in Dakar to take stock of the project’s results and to discuss an action plan for the next two years. On this occasion, the representatives of 27 maritime centres of 19 coastal countries of the Economic Community of…

Piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Africa: EU and global impact

Articles, Cooperation, CRIMARIO, East Africa, EU, EU NAVFOR, EUCAP NESTOR, GoGIN, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Indian Ocean, Information sharing, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery

The in-depth analysis elaborated by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) was divulgated at the occasion of the High-Level Conference on Oceans that took place in Brussels on 19 March 2019. The paper addresses the most pressing challenges in relation to maritime security: piracy and armed robbery at sea. Africa is particularly vulnerable to these…

GoGIN in the news: Improving Maritime Governance and Communication to Fight Insecurity and Threats in the Gulf of Guinea

Articles, Blue Economy, Cameroon, EU, Gambia, Ghana, GoGIN, Gulf of Guinea, Information sharing, Liberia, maritime security, RMU, Sierra Leone, Training

At the closing ceremony for the first GoGIN In-Crisis Communication Course for English speaking countries at the Regional Maritime University (RMU), in Accra, the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, Ms. Diana Acconcia stressed how much maritime governance is needed to improve the blue economy as well as coordination of efforts to fight maritime insecurity and…

EU Civil-Military Engagement in the Horn of Africa: Celebrating the 10 years of Operation Atalanta

Articles, Cooperation, East Africa, EU, EU NAVFOR, EUCAP NESTOR, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery

During the last years, the stability of the Somali territory and waters has been a priority of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). In December 2018, the EU naval Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR) celebrated 10 years of deployment. While EU NAVFOR contributes in fighting piracy at sea, civilian and military missions on the…