COMMENTARY ON SIX MARITIME'S NIGERIAN EXPERTISE BY FORMER NAVY SEAL
Sep 03rd 2013
Nigeria requires stronger power to aid against piracy
Coronado, California – In a time when maritime security methods, tactics and techniques are of necessity expanding and maturing in order to stay well ahead of the growing piracy threat particularly in African waters, Six Maritime CEO Joseph Allen released a statement on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 regarding recent disclosures by West African states.
Mr. Allen observed that African nations from Morocco, around the Gulf of Guinea south to Angola including the major seaport of Lagos, Nigeria, have openly admitted that they are, as a group of nations, woefully incapable of dealing with the burgeoning opportunism of pirate factions up and down this 4600 mile stretch of mostly primitive coastline.
As an example of the inadequate threat response capability of the 19 neighboring nations in this study, Nigeria (perhaps the most progressive of the group) with its international seaport at Lagos, has a mere 34 inshore patrol craft. This figure may well be optimistic considering craft maintenance and manning requirements which are often not met. Other countries in this group have little to none, in terms of personnel and equipment, reliable and consistent offshore law enforcement, maritime security and customs practices.
Piracy is running rampant in these African waters, and will continue to do so until a technologically and logistically superior force is brought to bear on the problem.
As the days of dealing with the Piracy Issue with teams of armed guards aboard individual ships seem to have reached their zenith, fresh advancements in practical theory have arisen in the realms of surveillance, early detection, avoidance of hazardous scenarios, and pre-emptive interdiction. In order to effectively secure international shipping and to safeguard other maritime pursuits over such a vast area of uncontrolled and unprotected ocean, a sophisticated network capable of implementing these qualities of technological and logistical superiority has become essential.
Mr. Joseph Allen, CEO of Six Maritime, and his highly experienced, professional Board of Directors have turned their full attention to this vanguard of thought and practice in controlling piracy of international shipping and maritime activities on the high seas.
