A representative of the United Kingdom Maritime Domain Awareness Program (MDA), Richard Morrish as reiterated the need to ensure a smooth and safe movement of goods and services around the global waterways.
Mr Morris said this while addressing journalists at the Global Maritime Security Conference in Abuja. He said “all of us in the world are now globally connected.”
He said there is a need to ensure freedom of navigation because everything that we consume gets to us through a globally enabled industry.
“If mariners can go about their business unmolested on the high seas and ships arrive on time, goods and services will become cheaper.”
Mr Morris said achieving safe navigation in the Gulf of Guinea will take a lot work to establish effective Organisation.
He said the three day conference will enable people who are responsible for delivering the necessary capabilities come up with recommendations that will help to improve on the Security of waterways, especially in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said it is not the responsibility of the UK government to support nations in the Gulf of Guinea to achieve safe navigation. “It is for the states in West Africa to provide their own security”, he said.
“What the UK government and other partners are prepared to do is to share our experiences and to help national governments develop their capabilities if they wish to ask us to help them”.
The international shipping industry is responsible for the carriage of around 90% of world trade.
Shipping is the life blood of the global economy. Without shipping, intercontinental trade, the bulk transport of raw materials, and the import/export of affordable food and manufactured goods would simply not be possible.
The GMSC is organised to enable stakeholders share experiences, brainstorm and make recommendations on how to enable free movement of goods and services in the waterways of the Gulf of Guinea which is recently experiencing a hike in piracy, smuggling and other criminal activities.
