IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has expressed his deep concern about the escalation of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. At the same time, he pointed out that ships travelling in this highly dangerous sea area should follow the Best Management Practices (BMP) for West Africa drawn up by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). This should prevent or at least make attacks more difficult and deter attackers. In addition, attacks should be reported better and faster to the relevant authorities so that assistance can be provided promptly.
Lim had sent a circular to all parties involved, including the shipowners, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Interregional Coordination Centre for the Implementation of Regional Strategy for Maritime Safety and Security in Central and West Africa (ICC). This was triggered by an attack on the container ship Mozart on 23 January 2021, in which one seafarer was killed and 15 others kidnapped. The number of attacks on merchant ships in the sea area off West Africa has risen sharply in recent months.
It was only at the beginning of February that the Sea Phantoma chemical tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag, was attacked 115 nautical miles off the coast of Cameroon. The crew managed to save themselves in the citadel. Their distress call reached the frigate Wele Nzas from Equatorial Guinea and the patrol boat Dipikar from Cameroon, who immediately made their way to the scene. When a helicopter from Equatorial Guinea, which had also been deployed, arrived at the ship, the at least eight pirates fled. After the rescue was completed, the Sea Phantom the port of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
Text: mb; Photo: ICC Yaounde
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Moin, you can't fight piracy exclusively at sea, you have to fight it on land. I wouldn't rule out a combat mission per se, but the tenor of my thinking is more on a diplomatic level. For me, this means, for example, that framework conditions must be created so that something like piracy is not worthwhile for people.