Gulf of Guinea area is now the new piracy hot spot
ECSA andETF strongly believes that the European Union’s toolbox will be key to solve this growing problem.Long-term solutions must be found on shore, however, the security situation is such that action mustbe taken today. ECSA and ETF call for:
International military presence outside territorial waters
Whilst most of the attacks take place in territorial waters, increasingly attempts are made ininternational waters. The international community must protect the security of seafarers and vesselsoutside territorial waters in West Africa, limiting the scope of operation of pirates.
Proper protection from the local navy in territorial waters
Inside territorial waters, ECSA and ETF are calling for protection from the national navies, coastguards or police and ask the EU to encourage the States to take up their responsibility. The EU shouldcontribute by funding capacity building to provide high quality local naval capabilities. EU financial aidmust be made available to local States to ensure regional cooperation, capacity building andgovernance issues. The EU’s CRIMGO initiative (the Critical Maritime Routes in the Gulf of Guinea)should be a useful leverage in this context.
A well-functioning monitoring and reporting system
Reporting is hardly taking place as there is no reliable and trustworthy system to report into. The lackof overview and information leads to an underestimation of the situation on the ground. Therefore, areporting and monitoring system must be developed which guarantees shipowners that the providedinformation is kept confidential and protected, goes to the right persons and flows into appropriateaction.
Investigating the use of Private Armed Guards on board vessels
Armed guards may not necessarily be the solution in the Gulf of Guinea, but nonetheless, the realityforces shipowners to use a variety of self-protection measures, including the option to employ privatearmed guards on board their vessels. The EU and Member States should explore the possibility ofbilateral discussions with the concerned African States to ensure that shipowners can use qualityprivate armed guards on board their vessels when they decide it is necessary, and to clarify the legalframework applicable, in particular to officers and masters to avoid placing them in harm’s way.
ECSA and ETF believe that the combination of these elements should be addressed in acomprehensive EU strategy for the Gulf of Guinea. Both organisations strongly urge all relevantCommission Directorate Generals and the European External Action Service to take the developmentsin West Africa very seriously and address this piracy hotspot before it has a chance to grow into sucha high threat for seafarers and shipowners alike that trade patterns with West Africa are irremediablyaffected.
In parallel, ECSA and ETF will jointly work towards a set of best practices for navigating this regionincluding guarantees that shipowners and seafarers are adequately prepared (psychologically,technically and in terms of necessary insurances as well as legally protected), that BMPs are appliedand that reporting takes place.
Source: ECSA
