Concern grows over rising piracy off West Africa Grey, sleek, bristling with massive cannon and an assortment of machine guns, the French navy's Commandant Birot is well-equipped to patrol Africa's most dangerous stretches of ocean. Vessels like it played a key role in curbing pirate attacks off the coast of lawless Somalia, which saw a spate of cargo ships hijacked and ransomed for months and even years. But with attacks off the Horn of Africa in decline, the Birot is now needed off the continent's western coast in the Gulf of Guinea, as experts call for regional navies to shoulder more of the burden. Images of the French naval vessel Commandant Birot practing anti-piracy maneuvers with Ghanaian and British ships, with soundbites of the captain.