Piracy is a serious concern in the Gulf of Guinea along the southern coast of Western Africa and the United States is working with Beninese officials to increase their capacity to combat international piracy within their territorial waters there, US Army informed.
United States Africa Command, working hand in hand with the U.S. Embassy in Benin, is delivering a new patrol vessel, associated maintenance and launch facilities and specialized training to the Beninese Special River and Maritime Police Unit, or USPFM based on its official name in French – l’Unité Spéciale de Police Fluviale et Maritime.
The USPFM operates similarly to how those in the United States might think of the U.S. Coast Guard and plays a key role in maritime policing in Beninese waters in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Gulf of Guinea has some of the highest incidents of maritime piracy in the world and prior to receiving the vessel and other aspects of the program, the maritime police had little capacity to patrol or interdict,
…said Deputy Political-Military Affairs Officer Matthew Briggs from the U.S. Embassy in the Beninese economic capital of Cotonou.
In addition to a new, 33-foot patrol boat recently delivered, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District managed the construction of an improved boat launch facility capable of launch and recovery of the new, larger vessel and a new, modern boat house and maintenance shop.
The boat house and maintenance facility were delivered just prior to COVID and the USPFM have been using those facilities to support their regular operations and maintenance needs since then. The new launch was completed earlier this year, replacing what had been a simple gravel ramp that was not capable of handling operations of the new vessel.
The improved boat launch is larger, incorporates poured concrete to facilitate smoother operations and has erosion control features to ensure its resilience.
“These are really nice, modern facilities that we provided for launching and maintaining vessels,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Project Engineer Chris De Pooter. “I think they will provide great benefits for the community as a whole. It’s a really good project and I’m proud we could be a part of it.”
The embassy said the support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in this project, and others also funded by U.S. AFRICOM, plays a big role in their efforts in Benin.
In addition to the facilities for the USPFM, Briggs is referring to some of the Humanitarian Assistance, or “HA,” projects the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District partners with AFRICOM and the embassy on in Benin.
Recently, clinics were turned over in more remote areas in northern Benin that play a key role in improving birthing outcomes and better documenting births. School and classroom renovation projects have been completed in the past as well, with several more in the planning stages.
Latest IMB piracy report noticed a positive and significant decline in the number of reported incidents in the region off west Africa which emerged as the world’s biggest piracy hotspot in recent years.
