Central Africa News

The IMO will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO), in Suva, Fiji, after IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, and Fiji Minister for Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 18.The Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies, while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

While piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has been declining since 2021, concerns have been raised about staffing, equipment and finance needed to continue anti-piracy efforts in the region.There are several challenges holding back the full operationalization of the Yaoundé Architecture, said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs - Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council meeting on June 22.

Inmarsat has launched its latest I-6 F2 spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.According to the mobile satellite communications specialist, which offers communications services in the air, at sea, and on land, the satellite launch saw I-6 F2 lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, reaching a top speed of almost 40,000km/h as it left Earth above central Africa. The satellite will now spend several months traveling to its geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Equator, using its onboard electric propulsion system.

Anglo-French oil company Perenco has shut its Cap Lopez oil terminal near Port Gentil in Gabon after a storage tank leaked more than 300,000 barrels of oil, it said in a statement.The oil, which amounts to more than Gabon's daily crude output, leaked into retention tanks on Thursday and did not spill into the surrounding area, the company said.The cause of the spill was not yet clear and Perenco has opened an investigation. Reuters was unable to reach the site on Saturday."A situation of force majeure has been declared…

IMO's Technical Cooperation Committee at its 71st session (TC 71) (20-24 September) has approved the establishment of an IMO Regional Presence Office (RPO) for the Pacific Islands region. If approved at the thirty-fourth extraordinary session of the Council (08 - 12 November 2021), this will see the Pacific Region become the sixth to feature an IMO RPO.The existing RPOs are: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire for west and central Africa (Francophone); Accra, Ghana for west and central Africa (Anglophone)…

Mercy Ships announced that its newly built hospital ship Global Mercy has completed sea trials leading up to delivery, equipping, maiden voyage and launch into service to sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.The first-of-its-kind 174-meter vessel, designed by Finnish naval architect Deltamarin and built at the Tianjin Xingang Shipyard in China, is the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship. It has a beam of 28.6 meters, with a design draft of 6.15 meters and gross tonnage of 37…

Enhanced cooperation and implementation of best practices are needed to avoid, deter and report attacks threatening ships and crew in the world's top piracy hotspot, says the United Nations' (UN) maritime agencyKitack Lim, Secretary-General of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) expressed his deep concern about the escalation in the number and severity of attacks on ships and crew in the Gulf of Guinea region, and insisted on the need for a collaborative approach…

Pirates off Nigeria's coast kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish container ship in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday in a brazen and violent attack that was farther from shore than usual.One sailor was killed in the raid, an Azerbaijani citizen, while those kidnapped are from Turkey, according to the respective governments and a crew list seen by Reuters.Accounts from crew, family members and security sources described a sophisticated and well-orchestrated attack on Saturday in which armed pirates boarded the ship and breached its protective citadel…

In order to improve the safety of fishers and fishing vessels, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has put in place, over the years, several initiatives, culminating with the adoption of the Cape Town Agreement of 2012.Accra, Ghana, was the host for a regional seminar (8-12 July), on "Ensuring Safety Of Ships and Fishing", to encourage discussion on promoting and ensuring safety in the fishing industry.The event also provided Member Governments with the assistance they may need in implementing the Agreement."Fishing is considered one of the most hazardous occupation in the world and, despite improvements in technology, the loss of life in the fisheries sector is unacceptably high…

The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has been declared as the preferred bidder for the development, operations and management of the Port of Kribi in Cameroon for 25 years.Philippine government's  News Agency quoted ICTSI disclosure to the stock exchange saying that: "ICTSI has been declared preferred bidder for the concession of the development, operation and maintenance of the Multi-Purpose Terminal of the Port of Kribi by the Port Autonome de Kribi. Parties will now engage in exclusive concession contract negotiations ahead of final contract signature."The Port of Kribi, located in Cameroon, Central Africa, is a newly built port with deep draft.

A training tackling maritime crime is undergoing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 - 28 March 2019), informed the International Maritime Organization (IMO).Members of three key regional maritime security agreements -The Djibouti Code of Conduct; the West and Central Africa Code of conduct; and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)-, which IMO has helped to establish, are participating in the program.Thirty participants from 24 countries are learning theoretical and practical skills to deal with piracy/robbery against ships, drug trafficking, marine terrorism, weapons smuggling…

Increased maritime traffic as well as offshore oil and gas industries in west and central Africa means more risks of oil spill in the region, pointed out International Maritime Organization (IMO).To strengthen the capability for preparedness and response of a potential oil spill, a workshop underwent in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (18-21 March).The event aimed to help participants with to ratify and effectively implement IMO conventions relating to oil pollution and liability and compensation, said the UN Body.Participants were trained on how to best transpose IMO treaties into domestic laws. The workshop also looked at the technical context…

Maritime security depends on the capacity of national authorities to develop effective port security plans and procedures and the ability to self-audit, says International Maritime Organization (IMO).A regional workshop for participants from a number of countries in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Tema, Ghana (13-16 November) has helped to build national capacity to enhance port security. Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo participated in the workshop.The training focused on how to establish multi-agency port and port facility security and facilitation committees with specific terms of reference…

The European Union and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC GMCP) have a long and effective relation in building capacities to tackle maritime crimes.The EU and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC started partnering in 2010 to support Eastern African states (Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania) prosecuting piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.Currently, the EU and UNODC GMCP are jointly working on  capacity building support in Somalia, including training and mentoring of the Mogadishu Maritime Police Unit.The Global Maritime Crime Programme is currently preparing…

In a bid to harmonize port state control inspection procedures that will lead to the elimination of substandard shipping in the West and Central Africa sub-region, the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will host its 3rd Ministerial Conference and 9th Port state Control Committee Meeting with the aim of developing a unified system of Port State Control inspection procedure for the region. The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region generally referred to as Abuja MoU is one of the 9 Regional MoUs and national MoU established pursuant to IMO Resolution A.682 (17) of 1991. The Organization operates under a Cooperative Agreement with the IMO.

Work to address maritime security challenges in Africa’s major maritime zones is underway at a regional workshop in Victoria, Seychelles (19-23 March). Over 60 maritime security professionals from more than 30 States are attending the  Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) event, which is designed to emphasize whole-of-Africa solutions to the maritime security challenges faced in the Gulf of Guinea, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and the Horn of Africa. International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Henrik Madsen provided an outline of two IMO-supported regional codes helping to address a range of interrelated maritime crimes and threats to security and development in Africa – the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct…

The ports of Antwerp and Douala in Cameroon are to collaborate closely with each other over the next five years. The collaboration agreement was signed on Wednesday this week during an extensive visit by Antwerp port representatives to the port of Douala in Cameroon. Douala port authority  is counting on the Antwerp know-how in order to boost the efficiency of its port operations, among other things. For Antwerp the agreement represents a way to maintain and further strengthen its position as market leader in West and Central Africa. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Cyrus Ngo’o, CEO of the Port Autonome de Douala,and by Marc Van Peel and Kristof Waterschoot…

Efforts to prevent piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa are being boosted by an extended International Maritime Organization (IMO) mission to Yaoundé, Cameroon (18 January – 2 February). An IMO consultant is working with the Interregional Coordination Center (ICC) to support the Center’s work to carry out a regional maritime safety and security strategy under the Yaoundé Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct was signed by governments in the region in 2013 to enhance cooperation on maritime safety and security. The consultant is identifying the current needs, status and requirements…

Prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa is on the agenda at a meeting of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea in Lagos, Nigeria (11-12 December). The meeting is reviewing progress made in implementing the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, which was signed by governments in the region, in 2013, to enhance cooperation to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea and other illicit maritime activity. The meeting also stresses the importance for States in the region to promote and implement a combined effort to improve maritime security within their areas of jurisdiction and responsibility. The meeting is also looking at gaps in capacity-building and assessing needs in equipment.

The port State control regimes which carry out inspections on ships to monitor and enforce compliance with international regulations have pledged to strengthen their collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and amongst themselves. A recent workshop (24-26 October) for port State control (PSC) MoU/Agreement Secretaries and Database Managers and Member States, the seventh of its kind, was held at IMO headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Participants shared experiences, highlighted new projects and approved a wide range of recommendations, which are aimed at further collaboration, harmonization and information sharing. The recommendations will be forwarded for review by IMO and the regional governing bodies of PSC regimes.

At the ongoing EU-hosted Our Ocean conference in Malta (5-6 October), the European Union has committed to 36 tangible actions to foster healthier, cleaner, safer and more secure seas. Amounting to over €550 million and involving activities worldwide, the announcements underline the EU's determination to improve the situation of the seas and send a positive signal of encouragement to the rest of the world – governments and private sector alike - to step up and tackle the growing ocean challenges, from plastic pollution and protecting marine life to the impact of climate change and criminal activities at sea. The EU's 36 commitments are described in detail below.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is helping Liberia to develop a national maritime security strategy. The initiative got underway with a week-long fact-finding exercise (14-18 August) involving senior officials from Liberian Government departments and agencies with a stake in maritime matters. Based on the findings, a proposal will be presented to Liberia suggesting the best way forward. One clear objective is to encourage collaboration and a multi-agency approach to maritime security in Liberia. Liberia is signatory to both a code of conduct dealing with maritime crime signed in Yaoundé, Cameroon in 2013 and to a memorandum…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  took a major role in an important exercise to evaluate the success of code of conduct dealing with maritime crime in west and central Africa (16-17 August). The Yaoundé Code of Conduct was signed in 2013 by 25 west and central African countries to address matters such as piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activity in the area. One of its provisions calls for its effectiveness to be evaluated, with a view to transforming it into a legally binding agreement. IMO joined government officials from 26 African states as well as several other regional and global organisations with related responsibilities and portfolios in Yaoundé for the event…