Every seafarer deserves to be safe while carrying out their work, and to be able to return to their homes without being victims of violent crime – no less than in other professions.
That’s the strong message of shipping’s Gulf of Guinea Declaration on the Suppression of Piracy which Danica Crewing Specialists has signed, alongside many other leading maritime businesses.
“Our crews have the right to be safe at sea,” says Managing Director Henrik Jensen, “The ongoing threat of piracy and kidnap in the Gulf of Guinea is unacceptable.”
The declaration outlines how the piracy problem in the Gulf of Guinea has developed into a curse for seafarers over the past decade. Seafarers going to the region risk being kidnapped at gunpoint for ransom. While overall numbers of pirate attacks are largely unchanged, the violence, scope, and sophistication of the attacks on shipping has continued to increase and today take place across an area of more than 200 nautical miles from the pirate bases that are principally located within the Niger Delta.
The declaration states: “We, the signatories to the Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy, demand that no seafarer should face the grave risks of kidnapping and violence when transporting cargo, supporting the offshore sector, or fishing in the Gulf of Guinea.”
The document outlines key actions which it says must be taken by all maritime organisations working together, aiming for an 80% reduction in piracy attacks and a complete cessation of kidnapping by 2023. It states: “We firmly believe that piracy and attempts at kidnapping are preventable”.
Danica, which supplies thousands of crew, mainly from eastern European backgrounds, to ships operating all over the world, supports this important industry initiative. Mr Jensen comments: “The safety of our seafarers is a priority for us and we welcome this high-profile commitment to make a positive change.”
View the declaration here: https://www.bimco.org/GoGDeclaration
