BIMCO urges GoG States to step-up prosecution efforts for pirates

Following the release of three suspected pirates held in custody on board Danish frigate Esbern Snare, BIMCO calls on African States in the Gulf of Guinea region to act and prosecute pirates who are apprehended by international navies.

BIMCO highlighted that the presence of international navies is a very important step in the right direction to keep seafarers safe but establishing a sustainable security situation in the Gulf of Guinea cannot happen without full support of the region.

Bringing suspected pirates to justice is best done by regional coastal states

said Secretary General and CEO, David Loosley who supported that only with international collaboration between regional jurisdictions and non-regional military forces there is a tremendous potential.

To remind, in July 2021, it was reported that a Togolese court had convicted nine men of piracy following an attack on a tanker in May 2019. One of the pirates was sentenced to 15 years in prison while six were each sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Danish frigate has since the end of October 2021 been part of an international anti-piracy effort in the Gulf of Guinea to deter pirates. On 24 November, special forces from the frigate were involved in a firefight with gunmen in a skiff full of piracy equipment in the waters south of Nigeria. Three of the suspected pirates have since been held in custody on board Esbern Snare while a fourth, who was injured, was transferred to a hospital in Ghana. On 6 January, Denmark announced it was releasing the three suspected pirates while the fourth was flown to Denmark to face a further constitutional inquiry on Friday 7 January.

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If regional coastal states help prosecute apprehended pirates it will significantly strengthen the case for capacity-building and support from the international community and underpin the development of the blue economy in West Africa

…also said BIMCO’s Head of Maritime Safety and Security, Jakob Larsen.

After the incident in the Gulf of Guinea on 24 November involving the Danish frigate Esbern Snare and a suspected pirate vessel, BIMCO had been among the first stakeholders to call on all naval forces in the area to further increase the pressure on piracy groups.