Gulf of Guinea - Afrikan Heroes

Gulf of Guinea: IMO, ECOWAS Partners to tackle insecurity

April 9, 2021

Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim

Three organizations have teamed up to tackle the growing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea which has had negative impacts on trade and other economic activities within the West and Central African territorial waters. The International Maritime Organization, IMO, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS and The Gulf of Guinea Commission, GGC are currently mulling plans to tackle the menace of pirates and other maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.

Disclosing this at the ongoing Global Maritime Security Conference taking place in Abuja, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim said that Inter-Regional Coordination will provide a framework for strategic action against piracy and armed robbery at sea.

Lim also called on participants not to lose sight of a new maritime security threat of cyber security to shipping adding that the topic should be part of the issues that must be addressed.

Lim who was represented by Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Lawrence Barchue noted that maritime security is interagency, regional and international cooperation and development of national and regional maritime security strategies.

He said.“In dealing with physical security such as piracy and armed robbery, the increasing threat of cyber security should not be ignored and this has now joined the list of topics being addressed by IMO.

“More recently, the focus of piracy has turned to the African coasts, after significant rise in such activities off Somalia and now the Gulf of Guinea.

“IMO has development guidance on the suppression of piracy for use by both government and ship/operators, which has been supplemented by industry-developed “Best Management Practices’. “Guidance has also been issued on investigating piracy incidents, which calls on using privately contracted armed guard security personnel, leading to international standards being developed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO.

“However, the security landscape continues to change, which emerging issues that include challenges posed by the embarkation and carriage of armed guards, their weapon and equipment ; more widespread terrorism and violent extremism, the increasing urgent need to address destructive and unsustainable levels of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as trafficking in weapons, drugs, people and illegal wildlife products.

”IMO’s approach is to assist its member states in enhancing their ability to address maritime security challenges, focusing on what the maritime industry, both the shipping and port sectors, can do to protect themselves and for the government to provide the overarching security framework for global maritime trade.

“The Yaounde Code of Conduct which was signed by 22 West and Central African States in June 2013, provides the framework for intra-regional commitment for increased cooperation and capacity building to combat piracy and strengthen the region’s maritime security as well as to tackle maritime crime in its widest sense.

“In furtherance to, IMO continues to support the effort of the Economic Commission of Central African States, ECCAS, Economic Commission of West African States, ECOWAS and the Gulf Guinea Commission, GGC, towards the development and adoption of a comprehensive Joint Regional Maritime Strategy, to effectively fight piracy and related transnational criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Europe Takes Over Maritime Security in Gulf of Guinea

February 2, 2021

With the failure of efforts by governments around the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) to stop piracy, kidnapping for ransom and organised crime failed, the European Union (EU) has announced the launch of the pilot case of the Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept in the vast area.

This was contained in a document containing the outcome of proceedings approved by the European Union Council at its meeting held on 25 January 2021.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had in 2019 hosted about 30 countries at the Global Maritime Security Conference. The high-level maritime security conference was meant to facilitate a clearer understanding of the challenges of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea region and develop tailored solutions. However, two years down the line, this has not translated into a safer maritime environment in the region.

According to the document, the EU said it would henceforth ensure political control and provide strategic guidance to West and Central African States in an effort to address the many challenges to maritime security, including organised crime.

Specifically, it stated, “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.

Nevertheless, 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.”

Also, the EU affirmed its commitment to increasing work with the coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea and the organisations of the Yaoundé Architecture, through greater European operational engagement, by also ensuring continuity, reactiveness, complementarity and synergy between Members States’ actions.

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 said it is launching 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.

“In this regard, the pilot case of the CMP should allow the EU to: enhance the visibility of EU maritime presence and support the Union’s strategic and political objectives, including conflict prevention, in close cooperation with international and regional partners, promote international cooperation at sea, in line with international law and UNCLOS in particular, and the exchange of information in the maritime security domain in specific areas and use the CMP as a pragmatic maritime tool as part of the EU’s Integrated Approach,” it said.

The EU added, “In this framework, the Council: establishes the Gulf of Guinea as a Maritime Area of Interest (MAI) and welcomes the establishment of the Maritime Area of Interest Coordination Cell (MAICC); recognises the importance for the Member States to further improve the coordination of actions carried out by their assets deployed in the MAI under national command, on a voluntary basis.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Nigeria Faces Spike in Sea Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

December 4, 2020

Jakob Larsen, Bimco's head of maritime safety and security

Global maritime security research outfit, Bimco is urging Nigeria to make use of its new assets to take action against rampant pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. Attacks have spiked since the beginning of the dry season in October. In November alone, 36 seafarers were kidnapped from five vessels, including a product tanker managed by Evangelos Marinakis-controlled Capital Ship Management on Sunday night. General cargo ships, a bunker tanker and a heavy lift ship were also raided.

Bimco said Nigeria is promoting a narrative in which it is taking a strong stance against piracy. The government has invested heavily in anti-piracy capabilities such as coastal surveillance, command and control systems, patrol ships, patrol aircraft, unmanned aircraft, armoured vehicles and training. Known as Project Deep Blue, these capabilities are expected to be fully operational this year, with the aim of eradicating Nigerian piracy by the first half of 2021, the country has said.

Writing in Bimco’s quarterly bulletin , the shipowner organisation’s head of maritime safety and security, Jakob Larsen, said the timing to act is now good. “As the dry season has kicked in, there is certainly an urgent need for these assets to be deployed in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said. Larsen said a quick response by air and naval assets is key to the successful interception of pirates. He believes the threat can be managed easily with a combination of both. “We know the recipe for success from the experience gained off Somalia,” he added.

“We hope that Nigeria will invite international navies already deployed in the area to cooperate to suppress piracy in international waters, as there is no legitimate reason not to invite international cooperation.”

Denmark is already trying to gather a coalition of naval forces to police the region. Italy has a warship in the Gulf of Guinea to assist local forces.

“Now that the assets and capabilities are in place, the coming months will be the litmus test for the country. The eyes of the international community and the shipping industry are now firmly on Nigeria,” Larsen said.

Owners will also be looking towards the implementation of the Nigerian Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019, which criminalises piracy and imposes obligations to report knowledge of piracy activity. So far, there have been no convictions of pirates. But a trial is pending of 10 people charged with attacking the Chinese trawler Hailufeng 11 in May, kidnapping crew members.

“We understand the trial is about to start. Then we will see whether the pirates will be convicted or not. It may offer a view into how effective the new act will be going forward,” Larsen said. He believes pirates in the Niger Delta can be relatively easily located when they attack at sea.

The long distances they need to travel back to shore from attack sites mean many other vessels can report sightings. “Reporting by merchant ships to the authorities is a very important tool in the fight against piracy,” he said.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea Witness 40% Rise in Kidnappings

October 20, 2020

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said that there is an renewed rise in kidnappings along the Gulf of Guinea as cases have risen by 40% in the first nine months of 2020 accounting for 95% of global maritime kidnappings. According to a new report released this week, 80 seafarers were taken in the Gulf of Guinea, a 2.3 million sq km (888,000 sq m) area bordering more than a dozen countries, sharply up from the same period in 2019, and the pirates are attacking further out to sea than before, the IMB said.

Pirates armed with guns and knives attack everything from oil platforms to fishing vessels and refrigerated cargo ships. In one attack 95 nautical miles off the coast, the furthest offshore attack reported in the region, pirates took 13 crew hostage, which the IMB said illustrated “how well-organized and far-reaching” the pirates are.

Experts say the bulk of the attackers come from Nigeria’s Niger Delta, which produces most of the petroleum from the country, Africa’s largest oil exporter, but the restive region has an underdeveloped economy and limited jobs for locals. In 2019, Nigeria enacted a standalone law against piracy, and in August, a court in the oil hub of Port Harcourt made the first convictions under the legislation.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea Signs Joint Exploration Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea

March 18, 2020

Minister of Public Works, Infrastructures, Natural Resources and Environment of São Tomé and Príncipe Osvaldo Abreu

São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea have agreed on the establishment of a Special Zone for Joint Exploration to explore and develop cross-border oil & gas reserves believed to be in the blocks bordering each country’s maritime zone. The decision was taken during a meeting this week in Malabo between the Minister of Public Works, Infrastructures, Natural Resources and Environment of São Tomé and Príncipe Osvaldo Abreu, and Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima. This development follows several cooperation agreements signed last year during the official visit of President Evaristo Carvalho of São Tomé and Príncipe to Equatorial Guinea, which includes a joint oil exploration in the countries’ maritime zone.

Both ministers discussed plans to expedite joint exploration efforts in the blocks within their maritime zone, and expect operations to start as early as October 2020. São Tomé and Príncipe is also set to benefit from Equatorial Guinea’s experience in the hydrocarbons sector, especially when it comes to offshore oil & gas exploration, production and monetization. In this regard, Equatorial Guinea has agreed to select students from São Tomé and Príncipe to study oil-related courses in the country.

São Tomé and Príncipe is believed to be an upcoming frontier when it comes to oil & gas. It has already attracted several international players in its blocks, including Galp Energia, operator of block 6 and Kosmos Energy, operator of block 11. International major Shell also participates in both blocks with a 20% and 30% stakes respectively. At the beginning of the year, Galp announced that it would be drilling its first well in block 6 by the end of this year following seismic surveys conducted since 2017.

Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima

In its ambition to open up a new petroleum frontier in African waters, São Tomé and Príncipe hopes to rely on the expertise of its African neighbours. The country shares another joint area with Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, which resulted in the signing of a treaty in February 2001.

As we have seen in other parts of Africa, energy cooperation between neighbours on the continent can unlock tremendous value for African nations. Senegal and Mauritania for instance have signed an agreement of intergovernmental cooperation in 2018, paving the way for BP to take final investment decision on developing the cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas field, located on the maritime border between both countries.

The Gulf of Guinea holds similar potential for joint exploration and development between São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea, but also Cameroon and Nigeria. Hopes are high that the ongoing cooperation and dialogue between São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea will pave the way for additional joint development efforts in the region.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry