The exercise focused on addressing complex situation involving ships suspected of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing around Salinas and the Galapagos Islands.

The exercise involved some 700 sailors and observers from multiple participating countries, including vessels from the United States and Peru. It included maritime interdiction manoeuvres, management of rules of engagement (ROE), rules of use of force (RUF), Command and Control, using the ORION System developed by the Ecuadorian Naval Shipyards (ASTINAVE).

The exercise included maritime security, law enforcement and crisis management activities, training the Multinational Task Force to strengthen interoperability, communication protocols and capabilities between multinational forces.

To facilitate the coordination and exchange of information at sea, participating agencies used IORIS, the Indo-Pacific Information Sharing Platform.

The successful conclusion of the exercise demonstrated the willingness and commitment of participating agencies and governmental bodies to ensure for maritime safety and security and to improve the joint response to real-world emergencies in today’s complex world. At the same time, IORIS proved to be a reliable communications platform for interagency planning and coordination at the national level, facilitating exchange of information, to respond in a timely and effective manner to complex maritime incidents.

During their speeches, Division General-SP Luis Lara Jaramillo, Minister of National Defence and Rear Admiral Óscar Noboa Estrella, Commander of Naval Operations, underlined the importance of international cooperation to neutralise possible maritime threats: “It is important to mention that without information exchange and planning there cannot be a safe sea. For the Ecuadorian Navy, achieving this requires Naval Power since more than 80% of the commercial exchange in the world is carried out by sea.”

Martin Inglott Cauchi, CRIMARIO project director, stated that: “We appreciate the cooperation that is being strengthened between the Ecuadorian Navy and the EU-funded project CRIMARIO II. Through the exercise, we saw IORIS supporting live exercises with assets at sea also plugging into the system, for the secure exchange of information exchange and operational coordination; through our collective efforts, we can address maritime challenges together. Thanks go to the Ecuador Navy for trusting CRIMARIO and agreeing to join and fortify the IORIS Community.”

Charles-Michel Geurts, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Ecuador, participated in the event and said: “In today’s challenging maritime environment, good cooperation between the relevant government agencies is key. Ecuador and the EU work together to increase maritime security cooperation, and projects such as CRIMARIO are instrumental in this regard. exercises like this one are extremely useful in building the necessary coordination capacity, and IORIS has proven to be a valuable collaborative tool.”

L’article GALAPEX 2023: working togheter to address Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

The description of the case also addressed the use of multiple flags in an attempt to avoid enforcement, the use of force to stop the vessel as well as the subsequent disappearance of one of the apprehended persons from aboard the arrested vessel.

In the ensuing discussions, the following points emerged:

– Regional cooperation is one of the most powerful tools available to suppress illegal trafficking of all kinds and is especially effective in cases where the cooperating partners have limited operational resources.

– How, when, to what degree and by whom the use of force may be authorised is a key consideration when establishing the procedures for interdicting vessels at sea. These decisions need to be made well in advance of an actual incident.

– The use of multiple flags by a suspect vessel can significantly complicate an enforcement operation and enforcement personnel need to be familiar with their rights and obligations in such cases.

– Once persons have been taken into custody, it is critical to ensure that every measure is put into place to ensure their safety and wellbeing despite the fact that they may be suspects in the commission of serious crimes.

L’article Tuesdays Second Chance: Captain Winston & Narcotics Interdiction est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

Stop Illegal Fishing, Trygg Mat Tracking and their partners have produced the ‘Document Verification Manual: Vessel Identity’ to provide practical training and case studies illustrating how document verification has been used to uncover cases of illegal fishing.

In 2018, INTERPOL warned about resurgence in fraudulent abuse of flag State registries for fishing vessels, which confirmed what had been observed through investigations by the FISH-i Africa and West Africa Task Forces and internationally in the past years. Yet, little information is available on vessel identity fraud and how this widespread fisheries crime is facilitated by document forgery.

This manual focuses on vessel identity, nationality, authorisation status, operational history, and related fraudulent practices, and primarily looks into what a vessel “says” about itself, rather than what the catch “says”. The use of genuine documents obtained by corruption or deception, documents that have been doctored, fake documents that have been created and the use of documents incorrectly are considered.

Read more and download the Verification Manual: Vessel Identity in English, French and Portuguese.

L’article ‘Document Verification Manual: Vessel Identity’ is published est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.