Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
Nigeria
First Advisor
Mejia, Maximo Q., Jr.
Abstract
The resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea in 2007 greatly affected the economy of some West African states especially Nigeria and Benin. The severity of attacks by pirates led to United Nations Security Council resolution 2018 (2011) expressing deep concern about the threat posed by piracy in the region and an intention for a cooperative regional action to combat this maritime security crime . Despite current efforts by some states in the region to curb piracy, this maritime security challenge still persists. Some factors identified as fuelling piracy include weak legislation, inadequate capacity of coastal navies, proliferation of small arms and unemployment. To combat piracy in the region certain challenges identified as obstacles to cooperation need to be addressed. These include lack of political will, inadequate inter agency coordination, influence of extra regional powers and poor maritime domain awareness amongst others. This dissertation analyses the challenges to cooperation in the region as well as the strengths and limitations of the countermeasures implemented in other piracy hotspots such as Southeast Asia and Somalia. Particular attention is given to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia( ReCAAP) and Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) with a view to suggesting a maritime security strategy in the Gulf of Guinea as called for by the United Nations.