News: Gulf of Guinea: A new security framework formed while the region continues to remain a piracy hotspot

​The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC), Yaoundé, have formed a partnership to counter piracy and general insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

The platform, known as Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum (GOG-MCF/SHADE), is aimed to facilitate shared awareness and de-conflict activities in the region by linking regional, international, industry and NGO partners to advance and coordinate maritime security activities. It proposes an integrated framework to bring together stakeholders who hold real time information at sea and have operation capability and means.

In its latest quarterly report (Q1-2021), the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has noted that the Gulf of Guinea accounted for most (43%) of all reported incidents and continues to remain world’s piracy hotspot. The attacks are reportedly increasingly violent, occurring farther from shore, and larger groups of seafarers are kidnapped per incident.

Since the start of 2021, there have been 38 incidents and 40 crew kidnappings. A crew member was also killed in Q1-2021. The region continues to be dangerous for seafarers, and violence against crew is on the rise in comparison to previous years.

It is yet to be seen whether the GOG-MCF/SHADE is just another regional framework, or will it live up to its objective by effectively coordinating efforts to counter piracy within the Gulf of Guinea region.​

Category: Loss Prevention