Piracy and other forms of maritime crime are a threat to global shipping and free trade, the safety of seafarers and the stability of the affected regions. The Gulf of Guinea in West Africa is an important area for Danish commercial shipping and has been plagued by many pirate attacks.

Therefore, the Danish Defense Forces aims to strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea for the benefit of both Danish ships and the population in the area.

The main purpose of the Danish program is to strengthen the ability of the coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea to handle the challenges of maritime security in the region themselves.

The efforts are primarily concentrated on building and training the military organizations on planning and executing maritime operations regarding piracy and other forms of maritime crime.

For the years 2022-2026, the Danish contributions include, among other things, capacity building regarding monitoring the seas and the cooperation of the states on monitoring. The Danish defense also contributes to the promotion of dialogue and cooperation between private and state actors.

The Defense is also supporting, through training and exercise, the building of a response capacity at the Ghana Navy Special Boat Squadron, enabling the  Ghana's maritime special operations force to respond to piracy and armed robbery (crime) at sea, taking into account international law.

The Danish effort is carried out by the Naval Command, the Defense Academy and the Special Operations Command.

The tasks of the Danish Armed Forces in the Gulf of Guinea are carried out within the framework of the Peace and Stabilization Fund, to which both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contribute.

The Danish Armed Forces have supported efforts to promote maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea since 2016.

Pirateri Ministry of Defence