TITLE:
Maritime Security: A New Strategy for Merchant Shipping to Avoid Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
AUTHORS:
Debi Ahoefa Broohm, Guohua Wang, Juntao Gao
KEYWORDS:
Gulf of Guinea, Togo, Law Enforcement, Security, Piracy
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.5,
May
29,
2020
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.