Strengthening Maritime Security: Somalia Inaugurates New Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre

Katia.Maronati@Crimario — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:59:30 +0000

On 05 December 2024, the Federal Government of Somalia inaugurated the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at the Somali Police Force’s Department of Coast Guard headquarters in Mogadishu Port, Somalia. This vital development marks a significant step forward in ensuring maritime safety and strengthening Somalia’s capacity to respond to emergencies at sea. The launch of the MRCC was made possible thanks to the support of EUCAP Somalia, the EU’s civilian crisis management mission deployed in Somalia.
CRIMARIO contributed to enhancing maritime safety and security in the area through the IORIS platform and the MARCO3 tools, which provide a safe, secure, and cost-neutral solution for establishing and maintaining a unified maritime common operating picture for information sharing and collaboration throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
CRIMARIO has been working closely with partners in Somalia and the surrounding region to strengthen Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) since early 2023, supporting maritime agencies in Somalia through training and capacity-building activities, notably in the use of the IORIS platform, for improving interagency coordination, secure communication, and information sharing.
CRIMARIO kicked off its engagement in the Horn of Africa with IORIS training in Djibouti, reaching five key regional authorities: the Djibouti Coast Guard, Somalia Maritime Authority, Somaliland Coast Guard, Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), and the Yemen Maritime Affairs Authority in March 2023. In the same period, CRIMARIO also conducted a historic tabletop exercise (TTX) in Djibouti, where the above regional agencies coordinated joint maritime interdiction efforts using IORIS.
Building on the success of initial training, in November 2023, CRIMARIO provided targeted IORIS training for the Somaliland Coast Guard, training seventeen officials on using IORIS for effective communication, document exchange, AIS data, and mapping. A few weeks later, CRIMARIO trained the Somali Police Force, Somali Navy, Somali Coast Guard, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy on the IORIS platform in partnership with the EU Capacity Building Mission to Somalia (EUCAP Somalia).
In response to a request from the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), CRIMARIO delivered specialised training for the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) based in Bossaso, Puntland, from 28 January to 1 February 2024. The training focused on enhancing the Centre’s capabilities in maritime operations, with a particular emphasis on using the IORIS platform for secure communication and effective coordination.
On 6 February 2024, a joint tabletop exercise (TTX) was conducted between EUNAVFOR’s ES Victoria and the PMPF MOC, simulating maritime security scenarios. This exercise, supported by EUCAP Somalia, further demonstrated the effective use of IORIS for real-time coordination and information-sharing between regional maritime security agencies.
Last August, CRIMARIO, with the support of EUCAP Somalia, facilitated a two-phase IORIS training for Somali maritime agencies. The first phase was a Training of Trainers course for experienced users, followed by a Foundational Course for new users, where the trainers acted as instructors with guidance from the IORIS Senior Instructor.
This training marks a key milestone, as Somali agencies are now self-sufficient in using IORIS and are empowered with the knowledge and skills to operate independently. CRIMARIO remains available for any further support if needed.
The Somali maritime agencies are now interconnected 24/7 via the newly created SOMSEA Community Area, a virtual National Community within IORIS. This network allows Somali agencies to coordinate maritime operations up to the outer boundary of their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Moreover, they can connect with neighbouring countries through the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Horn of Africa, and Gulf of Aden (ROHA) Community Area.
Creating the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mogadishu Port is a further milestone for safer and more secure seas for all.

L’article Strengthening Maritime Security: Somalia Inaugurates New Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

Tuesdays Second Chance: Oil Spill Cases

Katia.Maronati@Crimario — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:17:22 +0000

Replay of the webinar held on 28 September in association with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF)

EU CRIMARIO and National Maritime Foundation speakers have presented oil spill case studies for drawing lessons learnt and discussing with participants from the potential improvements in terms of regional cooperation, liabilities, MDA. Dr Saurabh Thakur, NMF Associate Fellow, explained the impact of major marine pollution incidents in South Asia, especially oil spills caused by the accidents of MV Wakashio in Mauritius and X-Press Pearl off SriLanka. He highlighted the various gaps in conventions and liability issues. Andrew Mallia, CRIMARIO Law enforcement expert, explained in detail the sequence of events that led to the Erika oil spill, off France coastline in 1999. He emphasized that lessons learnt from the incident are still not being duly implemented. Discussions with the participants focused in questioning the different responsabilities, and the ways to better cooperate at regional level to both prepare for and mitigate such serious accidents. In his opening remarks, Olivier Bézier, CRIMARIO law enforcement & capacity building manager reminded CRIMARIO objectives in line with the recent EU Indo-Pacific strategy and the key partnership with NMF to enhance together capacity building activities. In his closing remarks, Captain Sarabjeet Parmar, NMF Executive Director, emphasized the need for improving legislative responses, preparation and mitigation of marine pollution and raised the issue of ports of refuge.

L’article Tuesdays Second Chance: Oil Spill Cases est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

Pollution Archives - Crimario II

Strengthening Maritime Security: Somalia Inaugurates New Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre

Tuesdays Second Chance: Oil Spill Cases