Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Wednesday, 6 January 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 January 2016. It was answered by Penny Mordaunt (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 January 2016 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

West Africa: Piracy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the armed forces are taking in cooperation with other countries to prevent piracy off the coast of West Africa.

Answer: Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, as well as Short Term Training Teams (STTTs), work episodically to assist in building the capacity of maritime forces in West Africa in order that they may mitigate a range of security threats, including piracy. In 2015 HMS DRAGON, HMS LANCASTER and RFA GOLD ROVER delivered capacity-building training to maritime forces in Angola, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo. In partnership with US maritime forces, STTTs conducted training in Angola, Cameroon, Gabon and Ghana while bilateral training was delivered in Mauritania, Morocco and Nigeria. In 2016/17 there are plans for RFA GOLD ROVER and HMS PORTLAND to continue these capacity building efforts and for an STTT to return to Nigeria.

Secondary information