ECSA said that it is “extremely concerned” about piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, especially after the latest incident involving a suspected pirate vessel and Danish Frigate Esben Snare.
To remind, a Danish naval patrol killed four pirates in an exchange of fire in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Nigeria, in November.
The incident occurred when the frigate Esbern Snare, which has been patrolling the area since early November, attempted to board the pirate boat.
Commenting on the incident, ECSA’s President Claes Berglund, said that:
The situation in the Gulf of Guinea has been a top priority for the European shipping industry in the past years. The number of piracy incidents and level of violence cause great concerns for commercial shipping and for the safety and security of seafarers sailing in the area
ECSA added that it fully support the EU’s activities in the Gulf of Guinea, including the Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP) mechanism launched in January 2021.
The CMP is a positive step to coordinate Member States’ resources in the region, as well as to build cooperation and capacity with the coastal states, as these actions are crucial to address this complex issue
noted ECSA.
However, it explained that the recent incident shows that more action is needed to address this serious issue and that the presence of naval assets is key to ensure that vessels and their crew can transit safely in the Gulf of Guinea.
We would like to strongly encourage Member States to consider this as an issue of high priority and to allocate adequate assets to strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. This, together with cooperation efforts and capacity building in the area, is key to safeguard trade and development in the region and globally
Mr Berglund continued.
Except for ECSA, BIMCO also called on all naval forces in the area to further increase the pressure on piracy groups.
BIMCO is grateful to the Danish Navy for their firm actions to stop suspected pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. While every loss of life is tragic, we note the Danish special forces – acting in accordance with international law – were forced to fire in self-defence directly against the suspected pirates
BIMCO’s Secretary General and CEO, David Loosley, noted.
