More than the Strait of Malacca (Malaysia) or the Somali coast, the waters of the Gulf of Guinea have become the hotbed of international maritime piracy, said security officials from the region meeting on November 8 and 9, 2021 in Pointe-Claire. Black, in southern Congo.
“This space is one of the key areas for international trade (…) rich in hydrocarbons, representing a quarter of the world’s reserves“said Congolese Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, who chaired the opening of the summit organized on November 8 and 9 with the French defense ministry.
“We discussed issues that are common to the countries of the Gulf of Guinea: predation on natural resources, in particular on fishery resources, piracy of course and the phenomenon of illegal immigration.”
General François-Xavier Mabin, commander of the French forces in Gabonto AFP
If maritime piracy has reduced in recent years in the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea following an intensification of military surveillance, it has sharply increased on the coasts of the Gulf of Guinea. According to Congolese head of government Anatole Collinet Makosso, the region, which stretches from Senegal to Angola, recorded 195 ship attacks in 2020 alone. “with means and methods of pirates continuously reinforced for some time”.
130 of the 145 kidnappings of seafarers recorded worldwide in 2020 took place in this area, according to a recent report by the International Maritime Bureau. The goal for hackers is to kidnap for ransom.
“These pirates set off on board fast speedboats, small boats that can hold ten people with two large engines at the back. They can leave in two boats, one for the attack and the other loaded with fuel drums, as they are often called upon to travel very long distances.“, says Gilles Chehab, commander of the MICA Center (Maritime Information Cooperation Awareness), in charge of maritime security in this region.
A naval exercise common to the navies of the region, called “Grand African Nemo”, was organized from November 9 to 11 off Pointe Noire.