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” “ language, and it is our country which is going to benefi t from the results of these surveys.” In Lagos, Fred Ijewere, the Managing Director of Drum Cussac Nigeria, said: “The Nigerian Joint Military Task Force knows the risks in these waters better than any other organiza- tion, and the Nigerian government is very keen to maintain the lead in protecting shipping, rigs and the exploration surveys.” Operation Restore Hope The Joint Military Task Force (JMTF) in Nigeria is part of Operation Restore Hope, set up specifi cally to protect oil instal- lations and fuel-carrying vessels, although the presence of the soldiers has often served to infl ame the militant groups, angry at the international exploitation of the Niger Delta region. Attacks have increased at a double-digit rate each year since 2000. The Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa have been syn- onymous with the contemporary defi nition of the word pirate for many years now. However, even though 49 seafarers were taken hostage and 36 vessels seized last year off the west coast of Africa, the word ‘pirate’ is sparsely used in reports of at- tacks in the Gulf of Guinea. This is largely due to semantics, and the United Nations defi nition of piracy, as opposed to the dictionary description of the word being “an intent to commit theft or any crime by force on a vessel”. The United Nations defi nition, and therefore its mandate for action, is “a criminal act committed on the high seas, outside the jurisdiction of a single state.” In Nigeria, and off other countries along the west coast of Africa, most of the attacks on shipping, which regularly in- clude kidnapping of international crew members, and seizing of vessels, take place in territorial, not international, waters. The onus is therefore on the West African nations to tackle the scourge with national resources. But the number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea continues to rise month on month. With 13 percent of all oil imported to the EU, and six per- cent of all Europe’s gas supplies, originating from the coun- MARITIME SECURITY The Malagasy Navy is very professional. All our offi cers have had extensive training abroad and we can do the job well, as long as we are given the right resources. At the moment we only have six vessels to protect nearly 5,000 kilometers of coastline, so putting our offi cers and sailors on commercial vessels, with Drum Cussac international mentors by their sides, is an ideal solution. Commandant Vaohavy, Commander of the Malagasy Naval Base in Antsiranana 26 | Maritime Professional | 2Q 2014 18-33 Q2 MP2014.indd 26 5/16/2014 2:52:35 PM
