Maritime security: a prerequisite for a sustainable blue economy

Two figures show us that the ocean is an invaluable ally in the fight against climate change: 50% of the Earth’s oxygen is produced by ocean plankton, while over 90% of the excess heat related to greenhouse gas emissions is stored in the world’s oceans, according to the General Secretariat for the Sea.

However, like the terrestrial environment, the ocean is a fragile environment and there is a pressing need to preserve it and exploit it correctly. There are major challenges because the ocean is also a source of income and jobs, as the maritime economy (or blue economy) has been booming for a decade. According to the OECD, this sector today represents $1.5 trillion, a figure that is expected to double by 2030.

Blue economy and maritime security: common challenges

To address these challenges, a number of countries and regions have adopted strategies dedicated to the development of the maritime economy, such as the European Union and African Union, which refers to the blue economy as the “New frontier of an African Renaissance”. These strategies include a security component in order to ensure a rational exploitation of resources, secure maritime routes and fight against all forms of illicit activities at sea (illegal fishing, illegal exploitation of natural resources, etc.).   

Most of these security problems are transboundary and require a coordinated national and regional response. It is in this context that Expertise France is implementing two European projects, the GoGIN project in the Gulf of Guinea and the CRIMARIO project in the Indo-Pacific region. They are contributing to strengthening a dialogue and common maritime culture between countries to allow them to control their maritime domain and thereby develop the full potential of the blue economy.

Effective coordination to address security issues at sea

These two projects are an integral part of the European Critical Maritime Routes (CMR) Programme. They have led to the development of information-sharing platforms for national and regional maritime authorities. They are called IORIS, which is used on a daily basis by some 20 national and regional administrations in the Indian Ocean, and YARIS, which has just started its deployment in the Gulf of Guinea.

Through these secure tools, the authorities are able to ensure an effective coordination to combat trafficking and the plundering of resources, or organise the response in the event of marine pollution.

Involving coastal communities

As coastal communities are directly affected by these challenges, discussions are currently being held over gateways to directly provide information to the IORIS and YARIS platforms. It will subsequently be possible to use these information in the event of a criminal act at sea that deprives them of their resources or to alert them.  

These communities are directly involved in projects focusing on the blue economy, such as Go Blue, which has just started in Kenya with European Union financing. This project takes a multi-stakeholder approach whereby all the Kenyan stakeholders (including the judicial and legislative powers, the private sector, civil society and local communities) work together to address the security and safety challenges faced by the maritime sector.

Through its wide range of complementary expertise, Expertise France is able to link security and development and contribute to strengthening the blue economy, by increasing the security and protection of resources and all the stakeholders (including coastal communities).

CRIMARIO and GoGIN are present at the European Development Days 2021!