The Impact Of International Maritime Law In Combating Piracy In The Gulf Of Guinea

Arjun Kumar Ray, Amity Law School, Amity University Kolkata

Aishi Chatterjee, Amity Law School, Amity University Kolkata

ABSTRACT

The Gulf of Guinea has been a major shipping route for oil as well as gas, and has been plagued by the scourge piracy for many years. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides a definite legal framework for combating piracy, however, the implementation of said legal framework in the Gulf of Guinea has been challenging.

One of the primary challenges that is faced is that most of the countries in the region have weak maritime law enforcement capabilities. They lack the resources to patrol their waters effectively, and they often lack the political will to do so. Furthermore, there is a lack of cooperation between the countries in the region, which makes it difficult to coordinate anti-piracy efforts.

Despite these challenges, there has been some progress in combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea in recent years. This is due in part to the increased presence of international naval forces in the region, as well as to the efforts of regional organisations such as the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC).

The UNCLOS has also played a role in combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The Convention provides a legal basis for states to cooperate in combating piracy, and it also sets out the definition of piracy and the penalties that can be imposed on pirates.

However, the UNCLOS is not a panacea for piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Measures need to be taken in order to strengthen maritime law enforcement capabilities in the region, and to improve cooperation between the countries in the region.

This paper aims to explore the pristine edges of international maritime law, in such a manner that an efficient mechanism can be developed so as to combat piracy with due persecution of those committing acts of piracy.