Author(s)

Debi Ahoefa Broohm, Guohua Wang, Juntao Gao

School of Law, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China.

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.

Gulf of Guinea, Togo, Law Enforcement, Security, Piracy

Broohm, D. , Wang, G. and Gao, J. (2020) Maritime Security: A New Strategy for Merchant Shipping to Avoid Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 8, 392-410. doi: 10.4236/jss.2020.85027.