Consultation, not confrontation required to fight piracy – IMB

agos — The International

Bureau, IMB, says fighting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea should be through consultations rather than confrontation and partnership as against taking unilateral actions.

Assistant Director, Commercial Crime Services, ICC-IMB Mr Cyrus Mody, stated this at the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, NSC’s virtual breakfast meeting which held on Tuesday with the theme: ” afe Water: An Imperative for Economic Viability and Sustainability”.

According to him, the crime that was being addressed was very fluid in nature and so formal and informal partnerships were needed.

“The primary objective in fighting piracy is to secure seafarers and aid trade and so coastal states should have mechanisms to report attacks without disruption.

“At the ICC-IMB piracy centre, we notice different modus operandi in play and it shows that since 2019, crime at sea has been commercial, the multiple crew kidnappings are highly organised and the risk involved very dangerous.

“There is need for robust regional response not only in the Gulf of Guinea but in other areas at sea,” he said.

Mody noted that there was a lull in incidence of attacks since midFebruary, which he attributed to legal exercise and commended the Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for the development.

On his part, Mr Emmanuel Maiguwa, Secretary General, Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN), who delivered a paper, called for the implementation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) as well as the Automatic Identification System (AIS).

He added that implementing the systems would ensure people at sea were properly identified for safety and security.

“There is also the need for strategic segregation and regulation of the use of waterways, a boat that do not have GMDSS and AIS have no right to be at sea.

“There should be a centralised intelligence and access across the Gulf of Guinea, adoption and successful implementation of the justice system and having full control of the Maritime Transport Safety Act model,” he said. LMaritime