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More countries around the world should strengthen their approach to maritime security and follow in the steps of Indonesia, says a maritime security company. That country this month will launch a new coastguard service.
Phil Cable, Chief Executive Officer at MAST (Maritime Asset Security and Training Ltd), said: โIndonesia and its President Joko Widodo have rightly recognized that maritime crime, including piracy and smuggling, can be hugely disruptive of commerce and wealth generation.โ
The development of the coastguard is part of President Widodoโs push to reassure investors that Indonesia is taking maritime security seriously, the firm reports. Before he was elected, he stressed Indonesiaโs strategic position on the worldโs maritime axis and her potential as a regional maritime hub. A statement he made recognised Indonesia as the worldโs largest archipelago and linked the countryโs future development and prosperity with making sure that the surrounding shipping lanes are secure. He has followed this with the coastguard service.
Cable, pictured, said: โResponsible governments, like the Indonesians, are taking their responsibilities under UNCLOS (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the sea) increasingly seriously because they recognise that national wealth is intrinsically linked to good management of their Territorial Waters (TTW) and Economic Zones. It is becoming increasingly apparent to all governmental actors that meeting UNCLOS obligations and being able to protect and develop TTW and Economic Zones is a complex and expensive business. It is one thing to declare ownership of TTW and an Economic Zone. It is quite another to be able to exploit and protect the economic resources and wealth contained in and derived from the maritime sector.โ
Gerry Northwood OBE, Chief Operating Officer at MAST, said: โWe now have a situation where the most far sighted countries are investing in maritime security as a means to underpin national wealth and economic development. The challenge they are facing is that maritime infrastructure is expensive and there is a relatively long lead time to put in place resources. Early upfront investment is required and this is what the Indonesians are doing through creating a more capable maritime police force.
โSailors are not like soldiers. They cannot be trained in a heartbeat. Sailors and maritime police have to become competent in the marine environment before they can actually start to provide value as law enforcement officers. The same principle applies to personnel involved in environmental protection. We must also not forget that maritime operations are very often served by air operations. The ability to coordinate and link the two, means that vast swathes of ocean and littoral can be more efficiently monitored. The fact that the Indonesians are taking this seriously means that they have recognized the importance of their โmaritime flankโ – in their case, it is actually all round them – and the realities of their geography, to the future wealth of their nation and the well being of their people.
โTo secure and exploit this, whether it is port security, port operations, lights and buoyage, fishery protection, offshore protection, routine policing, it is all about sustainable training programmes.โ
