European shipowners (ECSA) welcomed the EU’s political commitment to a first pilot of the new Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa, but cautions that the situation remains precarious for European and international merchant vessels and more needs to be done urgently.
Amid an alarming coninuity of attacks against ships in the Gulf of Guinea, the EU announced launch of the pilot case of the Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept in the area, in a bid to pool and coordinate Member States’ resources in the region and working together with the coastal states.
The CMP is a good additional step and foundation for further action. We support the further implementation of this concept with an eye on the practical benefits for European and international shipping in the region. We would in particular like to thank the EU Member States which have committed air and naval assets to the CMP and we call on others to do likewise, in order to help de-escalate the threat level as quickly as possible,
…said Mr Martin Dorsman ECSA Secretary General.
However, more remains to be done to ensure the safety of vessels and crew transiting in the Gulf of Guinea, ECSA noted, as the number of attacks on vessels in the region and crew kidnapping has exploded in recent years with high levels of violence:
IMB’s latest yearly piracy report recorded the highest ever number of crew kidnappings for the Gulf of Guinea in 2020, with 130 crew members taken in 22 separate incidents. 96.3% of kidnappings were in the region.
The EU has shown leadership in addressing piracy, such as through the Operation Atalanta in East Africa and the recent announcement of CMP, ECSA stressed, adding that European shipowners will continue to play their role to mitigate the risks of attacks and follow best practices. However, enhanced efforts of governments are crucial given the complex root causes of piracy in the region.
On top of the mental and physical fatigue brought about by the global pandemic and the crew change crisis, our crews are put under extreme psychological stress with the high levels of dangers and risks of death from the rampant piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. It is unacceptable that this has lasted for far too long,
…continued Mr Dorsman.
