After recent attacks on Turkish ship and serial attacks on Maersk Line ships and the soaring insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), the European Union (EU) said it is set to move in to stem the tide.
The EU Council last week, at the end of its meeting in Brussels concluded to launch the pilot case of what it called Coordinated Maritime Presences concept in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to reports, pirates in the Gulf of Guinea kidnapped 130 seafarers in 22 separate incidents last year.
At the meeting the EU underlined the strategic importance of the Gulf of Guinea region and reaffirms its long-standing determination to support West and Central African States in their efforts to address the many challenges to maritime security, including organised crime.
Proceedings of the meeting that was approved by the EU in a document titled: Council Conclusions on Launching the Pilot Case of the Coordinated Maritime Presences in the Gulf of Guinea’ at its meeting held on 25th January 2021, was obtained by Shipping Position Daily last week.
While justifying it incursion into the Gulf of Guinea, the EU fingered the Yaounde Architecture, that is a 2013 political commitments made by leaders of the region.
The meeting held that, “in particular, the West and Central African States, which bear the primary responsibility for combating maritime crime in the region, made political commitments already in June 2013 in the “Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships, and illicit maritime activity in West and Central Africa”.
“These commitments have been pivotal in the progressive establishment of the Yaoundé Architecture to improve coordination and cooperation on maritime security”.
According to the EU, “the Gulf of Guinea continues to face a challenging environment in which piracy, armed robbery at sea, kidnapping of seafarers, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, smuggling and trafficking of drugs and arms, as well as transnational organised crime pose a major and increasing threat to maritime security, affecting freedom of navigation, thus endangering major trade routes, jeopardising the sustainable development of the entire region and the economic livelihood of the population, and leading to the deterioration of the environment and biodiversity.”
“In this context, the EU is committed to increasing work with the coastal States of the Gulf of Guinea and the organisations of the Yaoundé Architecture, through greater European operational engagement, including by ensuring continuity, reactiveness, complementarity and synergy between Members States' actions in this strategic area, also having in mind cooperation with the maritime industry”, the meeting added.
“Recalling both the EU's Maritime Security Strategy and the related Action Plan, as well as the EU's Strategy on the Gulf of Guinea and its related Action Plan, following the Council Conclusions of 17 June 2020, the Council hereby launches the pilot case of the Coordinated Maritime Presences(CMP)concept in the Gulf of Guinea. While being distinct from the CSDP missions and operations, the pilot case of this new EU initiative, reflecting the Union’s growing role as a maritime security provider, can provide a substantial contribution to addressing the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea”, it affirmed.
The EU Council added that, it “looks forward to continued close cooperation with the West and Central African States, and the organisations of the Yaoundé Architecture in taking forward this work.”
Meanwhile, the Indian National Shipowners’ Association (INSA), the local shipping industry lobby group, has sought the government’s help to deal with pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.
INSA urged Indian government to intervene in the matter at the highest level and take it to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), where it currently holds the status of a non-permanent member.
“The recent spike in piracy is a cause of major concern for Indian vessels and seafarers operating in the region,” said Anil Devli, Chief Executive Officer, INSA.
Energy security
“As one of the largest seafaring nations, Indian seafarers are present in large numbers on the ships of various Indian and international companies. In fact, it will not be an exaggeration to say that every vessel will invariably have an Indian onboard manning the critical functions of the vessel,” Devli said.
“West Asia is an oil rich region with huge reserves of fossil fuels. As a rising economy, India must secure its energy supplies and the interest of India’s mercantile marine fleet and its seafarers goes hand in hand to ensure sustainable development of the economy” Devli said.
“We must have a comprehensive mechanism to deal with the menace of piracy in West Africa on the lines of the strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean region,” he added.
INSA has also requested seafarers’ unions worldwide and various international maritime bodies to step up to the responsibility of sensitising governments worldwide to the need to combat the scourge of piracy.
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