Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — AS the world gather in Nigeria to take collective action against pirate attacks on vessels, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has said that collective action by littoral countries is the only counter-attack against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, GoG.
The agency has concluded plans to ensure the deliberations at the Global Maritime Security Conference, GMSC, scheduled for early next month in Abuja, are hitch free.
In its Global Maritime Security Conference news letter, NIMASA indicated it has concluded plans on thematic sessions scheduled for the deliberations.
Some of the topics scheduled for deliberation at the conference includes, maritime security, legal framework and regulatory issues in the Gulf of Guinea, maritime governance and the blue economy, enhancing maritime domain awareness, maritime security partnership: the roles of civil society, maritime security: evolving roles, models, mission and capability.
Other thematic sessions focus on the future of maritime security: trends, emerging threat, vectors and capability requirements, technology deployment in maritime security: emerging issues, maritime security: moving beyond policy statements to taking collective actions.
The conference, according to the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, will provide the platform for stakeholders of all shades to brainstorm and collectively find a solution to resolve the challenges of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
Peterside also said that the issue of security in the Gulf of Guinea has received a major attention as members of Oil Company International Maritime Forum, OCIMF, International Tanker Owners, INTER TANCO, the International Chamber of Shipping ICC, and Inter Cargo, have agreed to team up with the International Maritime Organization, IMO, which has pledged to support efforts of the Nigerian Government to enhance security in the region.
The Gulf Of Guinea is the north-easternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between cape Lopez in Gabon, North and West to Cape Palmas in Liberia.
Countries In the Gulf of Guinea include Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Democratic Republic Of Congo and Angola.
