Updated on 09 Jul 2021:
The 103rd session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 103) was held remotely from 5 to 14 May 2021.
Addressing the Committee, the IMO Secretary-General expressed his serious concerns over the current situation in the Gulf of Guinea, which presented a worrying threat to the safety and security of crews and ships operating in the region, especially since, despite the global pandemic, an increasing number of attacks had been noted. He stressed that, as highlighted in Circular Letter No.4382, he was taking all possible measures to facilitate the coordination of initiatives among stakeholders and to enhance capacity-building programmes in the region. He appreciated the collective efforts of littoral States in the region, in particular those by Nigeria in implementing the Deep Blue Project. He expressed his desire for a successful future development and supported the establishment of a working group to show commitment and to enhance support for international, regional and national efforts to tackle piracy.
The delegation of Nigeria stated that owing respect for the sovereignty of the coastal State was important to ensure effective regional collaboration and informed on their efforts and initiatives undertaken, including the establishment of a sub-committee to enable a robust collaboration between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s (NIMASA) command, control, communication, computers and intelligence operations, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) centre. Nigeria and ICC in Yaoundé had formed a new collaborative forum to galvanize regional and international efforts: the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum (GOG-MCF/SHADE GoG), purposed to facilitate shared awareness and deconfliction of activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
MSC 103 adopted resolution MSC.489(103) on Recommended action to address piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, as attached.
