News
Law enforcement on the high seas needs strengthening: UNODC head
With around half of the world’s oceans beyond any nation’s jurisdiction, more needs to be done to address the law enforcement challenges that occur in the high seas, head of the Global Maritime Crime Program of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Alan Cole said this week.
Rear Admiral Luik Eduard Endelievich, Chief Navigator of the Russian Fleet speaking to the audience
The UN expert, addressing the Galle Dialogue 2018 highlighted that unregulated floating armories, trafficking of arms, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and people smuggling, as national security risks facing nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). He also spoke on the vulnerability faced by the global communications infrastructure due to unregulated and unprotected nature of underwater submarine cables. The issue was raised by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe recently at the Indian Ocean Conference.
The ninth edition of Galle Dialogue 2018, an international maritime conference, organised by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) was held at Galle Face Hotel under the theme of ‘Synergizing for Collaborative Maritime Management’.
The Conference acts as platform to discuss common issues pertinent to the regional and extra-regional navies as well as other professionals in the maritime sphere and aims at enhancing the cooperation on maritime security matters among them.
A main takeaway of the conference was the need to have synergy between nations and stakeholders in building maritime domain awareness (MDA).
Presenting his findings at the conference Commodore YN Jayarathne of the SLN pointed out that Sri Lanka due to her geographical position, proximity to main shipping routes and areas of responsibility in terms of Search and Rescue (SAR) and Air traffic control is in an ideal position to host a regional information fusion centre for MDA.
Jayarathne and many foreign presenters underscored the effectiveness of similar centres established in Singapore (2009), Bahrain (2009) and Madagascar (2018).
Rear Admiral James Pitts of the United States Navy said information sharing for MDA builds mutual confidence and trust among partners. He described MDA as a ‘force multiplier’ and said efforts will be needed to build confidence among regional states when seeking information synergy.
Admiral (Retd) RK Dhowan addressing the gathering said the need for rule based order in the Indian Ocean and said India was exploring the possibility of an information fusion center based in India as well. He stressed the need for ‘home grown’ solutions for Indian Ocean security concerns. Rear Admiral Han Xiao Hu of the Chinese Navy pointed out that the joint counter piracy operations in the IOR had achieved their desired effect and called greater collaboration between navies and nations on maritime concerns. He added that China may deploy an Aircraft carrier in to the Indian Ocean soon but for peaceful purposes.He stressed that the ‘Peace, stability and order” in the IOR is important to China, as it is a major trade route for his nation.
Academics and naval practitioners discussed different models of information sharing, connectivity and technologies that enable partnering states and non-state stakeholders to ensure safety, stability and peace in the Indian Ocean.
Navy Commander Vice Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe said that the SLN needs to have near real-time maritime domain (MDA) awareness in order to secure and effectively manage Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the future. “The need for maritime patrol aircrafts (MPA’s) to enhance Sri Lanka’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) is an immediate operational requirement” he said while speaking to the Sunday Times on the sidelines of the conference.
He said that Navy and the Air Force are discussing the acquisition and the use of MPA’s, he told the Sunday Times. Enhanced MDA will enable the SLN and other stakeholders to quickly respond to maritime crime, sea pollution, to conduct search and rescue duties and secure the vital trade routes he elaborated.
Rear Admiral Didier Malterre, Joint Commander of French forces in the Indian Ocean said France to deploy Aircraft Carrier Charles de Galle to the India Ocean next year. It will be accompanied by a French Navy training squadron. Galle Dialogue 2018 came in the back ground of increasing naval diplomacy to Colombo, with 28 Naval vessels from 11 nations calling port in Sri Lanka up to date.