Bad order at sea: from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Guinea

At the dawn of the 21st century – in particular as a result of increasing bad order at sea – maritime matters have increasingly edged their way upwards on national and international security agendas. In 2009, events off the Horn of Africa, as well as off the West African shoreline in the arc of the Gulf of Guinea, continue to draw international attention due to, among other things, a steep rise in maritime threats grouped broadly under the rubric of piracy. Subsequently, both these African maritime arenas reflect a growing maritime awareness and cooperation to prevent or deal with the threats to humanitarian and commercial interests and the endangerment of important resources and seaways. Together with international attention turning back to Africa, African seas are increasingly assuming new importance as actors stake their maritime claims. This article attempts to set the current piracy scourge off the African coast within the ambit of good order at sea and explain the insecurity off the West and East African coasts. The first section covers good order at sea and the general deterioration of security at sea and gives a wider classification of threats at sea. The following section highlights the growing insecurity off the Horn of Africa and introduces the reader to an important African maritime threat landscape. The third section outlines threats in the Gulf of Guinea in particular before suggesting alternatives for promoting maritime security in this region. The discussion closes with a brief comparison between the eastern and western seaboards. Notes, ref., sum. (p. VI). [ASC Leiden abstract]