Vessel protection against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: a public private hybrid

By Jessica Larsen & Stephanie Schandorf

According to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, only state vessels are mandated to combat maritime piracy. However, private security companies supplement state efforts to protect seafarers and ensure freedom of navigation in piracy-prone regions. This is particularly the case in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea: Private vessel protection rocketed in the 2010s, when piracy disturbed the freedom of navigation of vessels transiting the vital chokepoint for international trade in the Indian Ocean. In this theatre, no ships with armed guards onboard were ever successfully hijacked, and private protection was deemed largely effective.

In the Gulf of Guinea, the situation is different both legally and geographically. As Denmark has an estimated 30-40 vessels within the Gulf of Guinea at any given point, this calls for renewed consideration of how to manage private security operations at sea.

Copenhagen: DIIS - Danish Institute for International Studies, 2024. 4p.