On the 1st of January the European Union assumed the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), as part of  a one-year rotation system. This chairmanship is a joint endeavour of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission and will continue the work carried out during 2013 under the chairmanship of the United States.

Piracy attacks, as well as successful hijackings have dwindled in the last few years. While more than 700 seafarers were being held hostage in 2011, this number now has decreased to 50. This is mainly due to the important decrease of piracy activity off the coast of Somalia and the Indian Ocean, which was brought about by a successful combination of better ship protection measures (the application of the  IMO Best Management Practices – BMP), an increased efficiency and cooperation of the international naval units deployed in the area, with special mention to the invaluable contribution of EUNAVFOR Atalanta, and the growing reliance of shipowners on private maritime security companies, used as a deterrent to protect their ships.

ECSA welcomes the EU’s chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and is very pleased to see the continued commitment from the EU towards fighting piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

“Efforts in East Africa have finally borne fruit but it is vital to preserve this fragile strategic balance and avoid any resurgence of piracy activity in Somalia” said ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven. He pointed out however that  “we should urgently step up efforts on the West African coastline, where a very different and often more violent kind of piracy seems to thrive”. Mr Verhoeven added: “For that reason, we sincerely hope that it is the intention of the EU and the international community to take the initiative and act as soon as possible to stem the tide of violent smash-and-grab attacks in the Gulf of Guinea”.

According to the latest International Maritime Bureau figures, out of the 234 piracy incidents reported in 2013, only 13 were attributed to Somali piracy (including two hijackings) while Nigeria-related incidents alone exceeded this number with a total of 30 incidents (including two hijackings). Sadly a number of attacks have already been reported this month in the Gulf of Guinea, most notably a failed hijacking attempt off Gabon and a successful hijacking off Equatorial Guinea which resulted in three seafarers being kidnapped.

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was established on 14 January 2009 pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851 (2008) to facilitate the coordination of actions among more than 60 states and organisations to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The official EU press release can be found here

The latest International Maritime Bureau piracy statistics can be found here