(Business in Cameroon) - As a prelude to a naval exercise currently being prepared in the Gulf of Guinea, the French Navy command and supply ship BCR “Somme” recently docked at the port of Kribi.

“We docked at the port of Kribi as a prelude to a major exercise that will take place throughout the Gulf of Guinea, from Angola to Senegal. It is a response to a process launched here in Cameroon in 2013, dealing with maritime safety in the above-mentioned area. The exercise addresses several threats including pollution, piracy, illegal trafficking and rescue at sea,” said Gauthier Dupire, Commander of the BCR Somme.

Captain First Class Charles René Kontelizo, Commander of the Port of Kribi, said that as part of the marine cooperation between Cameroon and friendly States, Cameroonian ports regularly receive military vessels. However, he said, the French Navy's call at the port of Kribi is unprecedented because the port itself is new.

“This is a diplomatic stopover in prelude to commercial stopovers for the transport of military equipment. Indeed, there is a number of military equipment that has hitherto transited through the port of Douala, which will now pass through Kribi to the Central African Republic, Chad and to neighboring countries,” Commander Kontelizo added.

SA