FIGHT AGAINST MARITIME PIRACY : ARRIVAL OF A BRAZILIAN MILITARY VESSEL AT THE ABIDJAN PORT.

Activités portuaires Wednesday 24 August 2022

On Monday, july 4, 2022, La Fragata Uniao F45, a Brazilian military vessel called at Abidjan Port

After the vessel docked, a delegation of the ship crew, led by the His Excellency Mr Fausto Carmello, Ambassador of Brazil to Côte d’Ivoire went to exchange courtesies with the Port Authority. The delegation was received by Colonel Coffi Emmanuel, Harbour Master of the port, representing Mr Hien Yacouba SIE, Managing Director of Abidjan Port Authority (PAA).

According to Mr Sandir Anzonio Freizas D’ALMEIDA, Fregate Commander, the presence of the vessel in Côte d’Ivoire falls within the framework of cooperation with the Ivorian Maritime Authorities on the issue of prevention and fight against acts of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

First of all, Colonel Coffi Emmanuel expressed on behalf of the Managing Director, his delight to receive this vessel in Abidjan Port, then, he welcomed the momentum of international cooperation aimed at putting an end to maritime piracy against which not any single country can fight on its own. This is the reason why the Ivorian Government and the Abidjan Port Authority’s Management are willing and committed to collaborate with all the stakeholders.

As a reminder, Côte d’Ivoire has taken an active part in the development of the Yaounde Agreement which gathers the member countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in order to pool their strategies and means to ensure maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea

This large area which stretches over thousands of kilometers off the west coast of the continent from southern Senegal to Angola is considered the most dangerous area in the world as far maritine navigation is concerned.

The Yaounde Agreement, strongly supported by the United Nations and other multilateral partners has been bearing fruits more and more in the light of the last Annual Report of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) published in mid january 2022. The report points out that in 2021, only 34 piracy acts and armed attacks were recorded in the Gulf of Guinea as against 81 the previons year.

The stopover of the Fragata Uniao F 45 will last three days