The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has warned member states to be cautious of the growing rate of cyber security threat to global shipping business.
Speaking at the Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC) recently held in Abuja, Kitack Lim, secretary general of the IMO, said maritime nations should deal with cyber security, same way they deal with piracy and armed robbery at sea.
Lim however, announced IMO’s readiness to assist its member states in enhancing their ability to address maritime security challenges.
Lim, who was represented by Lawrence Barchue, assistant secretary general of the IMO, said threat posed by piracy and armed robbery against ships has been on IMO’s agenda since the early 1980s.
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“In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the focus was on the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Recently, the focus of pirate activity has turned to the African coasts, after the significant rise off Somalia and now the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
IMO, he said, has developed guidance on the suppression of piracy for use by governments, shipowners and operators which has been supplemented by industry-developed “Best MW Practices”.
He said guidance has also been issued on investigating piracy incidents, which calls on states to investigate and persecute suspected perpetrators, and on using privately-contracted armed security personnel, leading to an international standard being developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
“The security landscape continues to change, with emerging issues that include challenges posed by the embarkation and carriage at armed guards, their weapons and equipment; more widespread terrorism and violent extremism; the increasingly urgent need to address destructive and unsustainable levels of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as trafficking in weapons, drugs, people and illegal wildlife products,” he said.
He further said that Gulf of Guinea region is noted for huge oil and gas deposit, large mineral reserves and abundant fisheries, as well as food and cash crops. “This, combined with a geographically strategic location for shipping movements, makes this region a vitally important part of the global economy,” he said.
According to him, the incidence of piracy and armed robbery in the waters off West Africa has the highest reported rate globally, and it has become of very serious concern.
“Attacks have become increasingly violent, often involving firearms, and cases of kidnapping for ransom have become more common. This is a serious concern of IMO with respect to the safety and security of seafarers,” he said.
