Representatives from the European Union (EU) East African naval force attended a second meeting on strengthening maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
One outcome of the first meeting was a June joint naval exercise with Indian Navy elements working with EU NavFor Operation Atalanta in a five ship, two-day effort.
The joint effort to provide further protection to EU critical maritime routes in the Indo-Pacific (CRIMARIO) has to date seen workshops and meetings, including an inter-operability workshop with India’s Maritime Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR). In September the EU adopted a strategy on co-operation in the Indo-Pacific, including possible expansion of the Co-ordinated Maritime Presence concept to the north- western Indian Ocean to enhance synergies and information exchanges.
As part of its contribution to further improving maritime security EU NavFor – Somalia, under the Operation Atalanta flag, will strengthen its network with regional states to identify further co-ordination and synergy potential. The co-operation network is at the heart of the co-operation concept of Operation Atalanta (COCOA), which aims at broader collaboration between Atalanta and EU maritime stakeholders as well as those of other nations.
