EUCRIMARIO, in cooperation with the Kenya Coast Guard Service, organised the 4th IORIS Steering Committee High Level Meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, on strengthening maritime cooperation and advancing the operational use of IORIS in response to evolving global safety and security challenges.
The three days event convened government officials and experts from 80 organisations from east Africa across to the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and both coasts of Latin America.
The meeting took place against a backdrop of increasingly complex and tensioned maritime environment, reinforcing the shared understanding that no single nation can effectively respond alone to today’s maritime safety and security challenges, to protect the shipping lines and sea-related economic activities.
During the conference, participants explored how partners can consolidate and exploit IORIS to address key challenges and threats, such as shipping security, counternarcotics, port safety, search and rescue, and the monitoring of sanctioned or falsely flagged vessels. Discussions focused on enhancing its role in live operations and regional coordination, also addressing long-term sustainability, lessons learned, and future opportunities such as the integration of Artificial Intelligence.
Opening the event, Ondrej Simek, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Kenya remarked: “Kenya sits at a strategic gateway to the Western Indian Ocean, where maritime routes connect Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and beyond. At a time when tensions around key chokepoints remind us how fragile global sea lanes can be, this conference brings together partners from Southeast Asia, the Pacific, South America, Africa and Europe with a shared purpose: to strengthen cooperation before crisis. This conference reflects the role of the European Union as a partner, facilitator and bridge between maritime communities — supporting cooperation, capacity building and coordinated action across regions that are connected by the sea.”
As Martin Cauchi Inglott, Director of EUCRIMARIO, underlined, ‘IORIS was created precisely to support super connectivity and interoperability. It is more than a digital platform; it is a concept that is bridging navies, authorities and agencies that need to work for a common understanding of the maritime domain. By enabling secure information sharing and trusted coordination, IORIS helps maritime actors strengthen safety and security where it matters most: in real time, across borders, and between partners. Today, we are here to strengthen IORIS governance collectively, so that this shared tool remains responsive to the needs of all users and continues to serve the common interest of safer, more resilient seas.’”
Hon. Onesimus Kipchumba, Murkomen EGH, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and National Administration added: ” “The Mombasa IORIS high-level conference is a convergence of like minds and stakeholders within the maritime ecosystem with a common purpose of advancing secure and safer seas and thus contributing to global peace and prosperity. The conference couldn’t have come at a better time, as the world grapples with transport challenges stemming from the Middle East crisis. IORIS is therefore one of the initiatives that promotes cooperation amongst coastal nations and explores strategies to secure common waters for all. Therefore, Kenya, a strategic maritime location connecting the east and west, avails herself to fully collaborate and cooperate with stakeholders in advancing a safer maritime domain.”
The event welcomed new organisations from eight countries, who signed the IORIS Partnership Agreement, marking their commitment to operational collaboration and shared responsibility in addressing maritime security challenges across the regions.