Maritime security in Gulf of Guinea no longer a luxury but a challenge – French cooperation maritime officer

A Chief Maritime Affairs Officer for the French cooperation, Guillaume TURQUET de BEAUREGARD has called for more seminars to train marine officers.

He said marine security in the Gulf of Guinea is no longer a luxury but a challenge.

After completing a cycle of training last June, the SAR school of the Interregional Maritime Safety Institute (ISMI) has this month organised a level 1 training on search and rescue at sea.

The training organised from November 2 to 5, 2021, is a continuation of the training courses conducted in previous years, marking the beginning of a new cycle.

In all, some twenty participants from 11 countries from West and Central Africa attended the seminar. There were officers from Benin, Congo, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and of course Ivory Coast.

The participants included operators from MRCCs, maritime operations centers and Yaoundé architecture centers, navy and coast guard personnel.

Based on the learning of international regulations essential to know in the SAR field, the training focused on practice to enable participants to effectively coordinate rescue at sea.

Speaking on the opening day of the training, Guillaume TURQUET de BEAUREGARD who is a Coordinator for State Action at Sea (Gulf of Guinea) from the French Cooperation lauded the Ivorian State, ISMI, and ARSTM for the support and collaboration to put together the seminar.

He said amid the challenges encountered in the Gulf of Guinea, the training for search and rescue at seas is crucial.

“….maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea is no longer a luxury but a real challenge for the entire subregion. It is therefore important that the coastal countries of the zone are able to provide concrete and effective responses to ships and seafarers when human life is at stake,” Guillaume TURQUET de BEAUREGARD said.

He further noted that in an era of modern technology, there should not be instances where a distressed call will be made but no help will be offered to those in need traveling on the Gulf of Guinea.

He also stressed the importance for structures to be put in place and staffed with well-trained people that will offer a swift response to rescue people on the sea when the unfortunate happens on the Gulf of Guinea.

In a special message to participants, Guillaume TURQUET de BEAUREGARD charged participants to take advantage of the seminar and learn as much as possible from experts.

All Gulf of Guinea States are urged to have reliable and efficient structures for rescue at sea in order to be empowered to save lives when the need be.