The two-month deployment of four Indian Naval ships to the Indo-Pacific for bilateral exercises with the navies of Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia, and a multilateral exercise with India’s Quad partners shows commitment towards India’s “Look East Policy” and “Freedom of Navigation”. The exercises will not only improve maritime interoperability and synergy with friendly nations, but will […]
This research paper is a product of the research collaboration between the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi and the Maritime Policy and Strategy Research Center, Haifa University (HMS), Israel, with the aim of providing policy recommendations to the respective governments of India and Israel. The article was first published on the HMS website in December […]
Togo’s jailing of nine pirates, who attempted to hijack a ship in Togolese waters in May 2019, is a historic first-ever in the country. It sends a strong message that Togo, along with neighbouring Nigeria, is serious about its commitment to protecting seafarers in the Gulf of Guinea. Such bold action has even encouraged Ghana, which has endorsed […]
The signing of a framework agreement, between Tanzania and China, to develop a road map for the USD 10 billion Bagomayo Port project highlights the latter’s continuous endeavour in expanding its footprint in East Africa. Coming only months after China began developing facilities in Djibouti to accommodate an aircraft carrier, the resumption of negotiations over the stalled project […]
India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), “Deep Ocean Mission”, with a view to explore deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. On the west coast of Africa, Nigeria launched the “Deep Blue Project”, which is aimed at […]
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, entitles every coastal or island State to a varying degree of access and jurisdiction over its coastal seas. A belt of 12 nautical miles (nm) breadth, measured to seaward from the baseline (as delineated by the nation on its navigational charts and generally […]
In recent years, hybrid warfare has developed into a major regional and national threat, and threatens to become a global challenge. Hybrid warfare refers to a combination of conventional and unconventional warfare capabilities, used by non-State actors, along with non-military operations, which challenge mainstream military practice and strategic thinking.[1] These capabilities consist of, but not […]
The crisis of anthropogenic climate change has been framed in myriad ways, often oscillating between a wide array of definitions, political ideologies, economic pathways, and moral principles. Translating such a diverse and polarised debate into actionable policy has been at the core of all environmental negotiations, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate […]
The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Yoshihide Suga, recently made public a plan to discharge 1.25 million tonnes of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, describing it as his country’s “most realistic option.”[1] The decision evoked consternation and rebukes from Japan’s neighbours, especially China and South Korea, both of whom […]
In another recent environmental threat, authorities tackled a long ongoing fire on board a ship awaiting permission to unload Sri Lanka-bound cargo, off Colombo. The Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl was carrying 25 metric tons of nitric acid and 78 metric tons of plastic pellets. The rise in marine accidents, in recent years, will impact the marine environment of many nations. It […]
In the current era of the Anthropocene, humans have become the major driver for planetary changes in the physical, chemical and biological properties of the air, land and the ocean. The exact year/ decade of the beginning of this epoch is being debated among scientists. While some suggest that it coincides with the beginning of […]
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones’ plans to abandon its container terminal project at Yangon, Myanmar. This has been preceded by the loss of the contract for the ONGC Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field off the Iranian coast. Together, these projects cost the investors more than US$ 500 million in investments. The loss of these […]