Maritime security broken down in Togo
(@Independantexpress)
A new ship was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea near 04 00N 002 05E, 130 nm southeast of Lomé Togo according to Maritime Security, at 8:00 UTC on December 15, therefore last Sunday.
The vessel has not been identified, but according to the information available, it is the tanker DUKE, en route from Luanda to Lomé. Only one crew would have avoided the pirates, the others would have been kidnapped.
The tanker managers (tanker « DUKE ») report that contact was lost with the ship in the early hours of morning (December 15), local time. The ship flying the flag of Marshal Island was some 110 miles southeast of Lomé, Togo, where it was heading for the unloading of a cargo of loaded fuel oil at Luanda.
It is understood by the IMB Piracy Reporting Center and the MDAT-GOG that there was a pirate attack between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. local time, involving the abduction of the crew, leaving a young Nigerian sailor on board. It remains to be confirmed that this attack involved MV DUKE, which has on board a crew of 20 Indian nationals and a Nigerian national.
The owners and managers of the MV DUKE work closely with the relevant local authorities and the flag state to try to establish contact with the ship and the crew, their welfare and safety being at the center of concerns. and current concerns based on information received by our editorial staff.
The managers contact the families of the crew members to keep them fully informed of the situation.
This new attack on the Togolese coast is undeniable proof of the insecurity which has reigned there for years, and which we recall at the slightest opportunity.
The causes are known. The historic war between Colonel Takougnadi (Maritime Prefect) and the Minister for the Sea, Stanislas Baba that we exposed in our previous publications is undoubtedly the main cause of this insecurity on our coasts.
In addition, as we said, other undisclosed problems undermine the Maritime Prefecture and are the cause of recurring incidents.
In the fight against piracy, Togo is far from ensuring better maritime security for operators. The incompetence of the authorities in charge is no longer to be demonstrated.
The observed failure raises suspicions on the Togolese authorities who do not seem to spare professional efforts to stem the evil. Maritime security, according to a cooperant, has broken down in Togo. Across the coast, only Togo happens to be the target. This amounts to doubting the credibility and the good faith of the Togolese authorities on the fight. Some go so far as to establish a complicity of the Togolese guards with the pirates. Information still to be confirmed.
However, a promise has been made since the summit on maritime security and resources have been committed with partners to combat maritime piracy. Against all expectations, we are seeing the opposite effect and pirate attacks are becoming more and more frequent.
Guard companies and security agents are arrested if the government, through the High Council for the Sea is not informed of the dysfunction of maritime security in Togo.
More information will be provided as our investigations continue.
www.independantexpress.net
Eric G.