The Danish government announced the future deployment, from November 2021 until March 2022, of a Danish frigate in the Gulf of Guinea. The frigate’s mission is to combat maritime piracy in the area where pirates extend their actions, from Ghana to Equatorial Guinea.
Considered as the most dangerous region in the world, the area continues to record numerous incidents of violence and kidnappings. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) , 135 maritime kidnappings were recorded in 2020, and 130 of them took place in the Gulf of Guinea.
IMB’s director Michael Howlett said that “pirates were acting with greater impunity.” For example, they once were on board of a vessel for more than 24 hours, totally unchallenged.
This deployment off the coast of Guinea is part of a continuity of European Union objectives in order to increase maritime security and safety and secure shipping and trading lines of communication.