China News Service, October 28, "Relevant shipping companies and Chinese ships navigating the Gulf of Guinea must further strengthen piracy prevention." Wu Chungeng, spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport and director of the Policy Research Office, reminded him today that When passing through high-risk areas, maintain a high degree of vigilance to ensure that the relevant alarm and first aid facilities are in good condition and are immediately available, and prepare for prevention of piracy.
On the afternoon of the 28th, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on the economic performance of transportation in the first three quarters of 2020.
When answering reporters’ questions, Wu Chungeng said that a recent report issued by the International Maritime Organization showed that in the first nine months of this year, a total of 132 piracy incidents were reported globally, up from 119 in the same period last year, most of which occurred in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa. It has become the most common area for pirate attacks in the world.
Wu Chungeng said that the Ministry of Transport attaches great importance to the anti-piracy work of ships, has set up special teams to issue plans, and adopts a series of measures to ensure the safety of ships and crews on international routes.
The first is to continue to strengthen the security information collection capabilities for high-risk areas of pirate attacks such as the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, release dynamic and early warning information of piracy activities through multiple channels, and actively do a good job in preventing and early warning of piracy information.
The second is to issue an early warning to Chinese ships in the sea area where the incident occurred, requiring the ships to adopt strict vigilance and security measures to ensure safety.
The third is to issue "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Ships' Piracy Prevention Work", "Guidelines for Transport Ships' Piracy Prevention Work", etc., to guide shipping companies to formulate emergency plans and strengthen ship anti-piracy capabilities.
At the same time, the Ministry of Transport continued to actively cooperate with the Navy in the coordination and service support of escort operations in the Gulf of Aden.
Wu Chungeng especially reminded relevant shipping companies and Chinese ships navigating the Gulf of Guinea to further strengthen piracy prevention.
When passing through high-risk areas, you must maintain a high degree of vigilance to ensure that the relevant alarm and first aid facilities are in good condition, and are immediately available, and prepare for prevention of piracy.
Wu Chungeng also informed that in the first three quarters of this year, maritime search and rescue centers at all levels across the country successfully carried out many emergency and dangerous rescue missions. As of the end of September, a total of 1,217 search and rescue operations had been organized and coordinated, and 974 ships in distress were searched and rescued, including 776 ships. Rescued, 7739 people in distress were searched and rescued, of which 7413 were rescued, with a search and rescue success rate of 95.8%.