By Steve Agbota
Stakeholders and experts across the maritime sector have called for concerted efforts to tackle security menace at the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) and Nigerian waters.
The stakeholders and experts who gathered at a recent Maritime Virtual Breakfast Meeting (MVBF),with the theme – Safe Waters: “ An Imperative for Economic Viability and Sustainability organised by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS), said there is a need for a full implementation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) as well as Automatic Identification System (AIS) to enhance security provision at the GoG.
The fight against Piracy attacks in Nigeria and the entire GoG should be through consultation rather than confrontation and partnership other than unilateral decisions.
At the meeting, President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Mr. Andy Isichei, while highlighting the importance of shipping trade to the national economic growth and development, said that failure to proffer solutions to the security menace at the GoG will lead to continued economic loss to the region and by extension Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN), Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa, said there is need to focus on the importance of having a centralised intelligence system to identify people and assets in the maritime domain, and transparent judicial process in curbing the security unrest at the GoG.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the participants stressed the need for a full implementation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) as well as Automatic Identification System (AIS) to enhance security provision at the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
However, hey also called for the adoption and successful implementation of a justice system that ensures that pirates are arrested, evidence collected and preserved for successful prosecution. The participants also called for provision of a centralized intelligence and access control mechanism across regions in the GoG, the role of regional information-sharing center like Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) should be enhanced as a supportive measure to improve information sharing. They said there is need for full deployment of the newly acquired Deep Blue Assets by NIMASA in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies at the GoG