UAE naval summit discusses Indian Ocean security
10 May 2010

Navy chiefs urged to cooperate over security

Naval leaders from around the world called for increased cooperation in facing maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean, at a naval security conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

"The challenges we face are too big, too widespread for any of us to tackle alone," Commodore Bob Tarrant, director of the Britain's Royal Navy staff, said at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).

"The sheer size of the ocean hampers maritime surveillance and law enforcement, and often allows terrorist organisations or traffickers in drugs, arms and humans to operate without detection," Tarrant said.

"When it comes to effective maritime security operations, the greater the number of ships and aircraft at your disposal, the better," he said.

"Navies working together, even if they are only loosely coordinated, can act as a force multiplier on each others' behalf."

Ransom-seeking Somali pirates are the major headache for navies monitoring the Gulf of Aden. Pirates now hold at least 25 ships, according to Ecoterra International, an environmentalist group monitoring regional maritime activity.

More than 400 seamen are also being held hostage -- the highest number since a surge in Somali piracy in 2007.

Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, the commander of the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet, emphasised the importance of stability in the Indian Ocean, saying that "maritime security in this part of the world ensures global prosperity."

"No one nation can do this mission alone," said.

"It takes all of our navies working together to ensure stability and security in the maritime," Gortney said, adding that "every nation brings their own strengths."

United Arab Emirates naval chief, Brigadier Ibrahim Mohamed al-Musharrakh, said: "Factors of instability and violence are increasing" in the region.

"So, it is imperative that all of us agree to maximise collective efforts," he said. "It is to our vital interest to do so."