Operation Levante 2: Seychelles joins forces in regional maritime security mission

The preventive operation was organised during the port visits of the Royal Navy HMS Lancaster to Kenya and Seychelles (Defence Imagery, Flickr)  Photo Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) based in Seychelles, in collaboration with the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar, with regional and international partners successfully conducted Operation Levante 2 from August 15 to 22.

According to a joint press release from the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) on Monday, also participating in the operation were Kenya, Madagascar, the United Kingdom and EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta in Somalia.

The preventive operation was organised during the port visits of the ships ESPS Numancia from the EUNAVFOR Atalanta, and the Royal Navy HMS Lancaster to Kenya and Seychelles, respectively.

Operation Levante 2 is part of a strategy to deter and repress various illegal activities at sea in the western Indian Ocean, identified under the surveillance of the RMIFC, such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Its main objectives were to improve maritime domain awareness, deter illegal activities at sea, strengthen maritime security, integrate legal experts in operations and promote information sharing between regional and international partners. In addition to this, the operation made it possible to test the interoperability of the forces of the different participating countries and partners.

The operation made it possible to monitor more than 60 vessels over an area of 1,223,815 square kilometres. It included a particular case involving a Kenya-flagged vessel suspected of IUU fishing just outside the Somali territorial seas, currently being handled in cooperation with Somalian and Kenyan authorities.

Seychellois captain Sam Gontier, director of the RCOC, said, "With the collaboration of member states and partners within the Regional Maritime Security Architecture (RMSA), we are continuously increasing our patrols across the western Indian Ocean."

Gontier said, "The RCOC, through new partnerships and the inclusion of additional member states, is expanding its presence and capabilities to conduct joint operations. This strengthened presence plays a vital role in upholding the rule of law and combatting the notion of a "No man's sea," ensuring that security and order are maintained throughout the region."

The two regional centres involved in this mission, RMIFC and RCOC, were initially established under the EU-funded MASE programme, under the component implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). Its objective is to enhance maritime safety and security in the western Indian Ocean through regional and international cooperation.