Abstract
This article aims at showing the current practice in the Gulf of Guinea to enhance the security of merchant vessels in the region, by using the local integrated maritime strategy (EIMS) of government agencies. Following the increase in the spate of attacks in the GOG region, commercial vessels have been keen on adopting the use of Institutional and operational initiatives (IOI) taken at the national and regional levels in the framework of combating maritime crime (piracy). However, in the context Gulf of Guinea, there is evidence suggesting that most unlawful acts against vessels in the region, irrespective of their nature or location, are erroneously being classified as acts of piracy. There is a need to raise awareness and involve civil society in current discussions and programs on maritime security. According to the current situation, maritime security is widely regarded as a military issue, involving only local communities in coastal areas, which are suffering the greatest threat from sea. In fact, in a strict sense, maritime security is not a military or law enforcement issue; on the contrary, it should include a wide range of social, environmental, institutional, political and economic issues in a comprehensive way. Thus, placing maritime security outside the armed forces will help to launch a new debate on how coastal communities can benefit (or pose a threat) from maritime safety and security. As an alternative, countries such as Togo and Nigeria, in collaboration with the Institutional and operational initiatives provide vessels an extra layer of protection. This article seeks to explore the current trend in the GOG and the host of sensitive legal issues they may raise. The article first identifies the features of models before assessing them against international norms in other to highlight specific legal, institutional and operational concerns. Finally some remarks will be made through a conclusion based on the normative and practical perspective of the article.
Highlights
Maritime Security is of serious concern to the shipping industry because of the continuous piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
As early as 2009, while the international community was earnestly engaged in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia, commercial vessels, especially product tankers, already began to express serious concern over the spate of attacks in the gulf of the guinea (Swift, 2009), Since the waters within the Togolese, Beninese, Nigeria axis of the region have been regarded as high risk areas, as dangerous if not riskier than the waters of the coast of Somalia
The analysis described the incidents of pirate attacks that occurred from January to December 2019, and this information comes from the Interregional Coordination Center (ICC) International
Summary
The Gulf of Guinea for a little less than decade has remained under the international community radar due to the violent and systematic nature of piracy and armed robbery in the region (Hassan, 2016). It examines the impact of these trends within the context of existing international law and practice relevant to maritime security. The article contends that these practices which involve an EIMS in some respect, stir up concerns due to ambiguities that attend the engagement of these service These ambiguities highlight the intricate nature of the global security architecture in the maritime domain.
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