TITLE:
Piracy Challenges in the Gulf of Guinea along the Coast of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria in the Midst of Its Oil Find—A Case Study of Ghana
AUTHORS:
Nana Raymond Lawrence Ofosu-Boateng
KEYWORDS:
Benin, China, Ghana, Gulf of Guinea, Maritime Piracy, Maritime Transportation, Maritime Security, Nigeria, Togo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.6 No.7,
July
31,
2018
ABSTRACT: Maritime piracy has influenced global economic development, as shown in the case of Somalia. Through modelling the shipping demands and volumes of shipping, which require re-routing, leading to efficiency loss, it has shown that there is a substantial economic loss as a result of maritime piracy. Moreover, there are direct costs to the immediate piracy victims, where crews may be injured or killed; ships and cargoes may be stolen; and companies may experience higher operating costs and higher insurance costs. The indirect costs of piracy are also significant, especially in relation to humanitarian considerations. This paper discusses maritime piracy in the scope of the Gulf of Guinea and the coast of Ghana. The discussion, the modus operandi of piracy, is within both the Gulf of Guinea and the coast of Ghana. There is a discussion and provision of statistics relating to piracy acts along the coast of Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. Next, a discussion is held regarding piracy concerns in relation to the role of the Ghana Navy, Vessel Traffic Management (VTMS), and the security of Ghana. Following this, a discussion is held regarding the joint military exercises that are held with the Ghana military along the coast of Ghana and the role of China. Following this, there is a discussion of the policy and maritime framework based on maritime transportation and maritime security along the Gulf of Guinea.