Issues related to human and drug trafficking, maritime piracy and the legal aspects of combating these challenges are being discussed by experts at the Maritime Information Sharing Workshop, (MISW).

Stressing on the need for greater maritime collaboration, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral MS Pawar said there is a need to forge bonds based on trust, between partner countries in the region.

He was speaking at the two day Maritime Information Sharing Workshop, (MISW), being hosted by the Indian Navy at Gurugram.

According to the official spokesperson of the Indian Navy, Capt DK Sharma, there are over 41 delegates from 29 countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond are participating in the event.

Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji, France, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Maturities, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Seychelles, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam and the US are among those are taking part.

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The meet acquaint participants about Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, IFC-IOR, its information sharing mechanisms and promote the sharing of best practices. Also, a tabletop information sharing exercise would also be conducted as part of the workshop.

Today, a talk on ‘Contemporary Maritime Challenges in the Indo-Pacific’ highlighting the significance of the maritime domain and challenges faced by the region was delivered by Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd), Director General, National Maritime Foundation.

Since the security and safety of the seas in the IOR is vital to world trade and the economic prosperity of many nations, there is a necessity for a collaborative approach to maritime security. Considering this, the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR), Gurugram was launched last December for enhancing maritime safety and security in the region.

So far the center has established linkages with more than 16 countries and 13 international maritime security agencies.