Image Credits: QuartzTHE MARITIME DIMENSION IN SAARC: REDEFINING RELATIONS
Introduction
On 8 December 2016, the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the SAARC Secretariat, SAARC regional institutions and the academia observed the 32nd SAARC Charter Day. 1 It was on this…
Image Credits: The Hindu Business LineEVALUATING RECENT POLICY CHANGES ON COASTAL SHIPPING
Introduction
Coastal shipping is a characteristic observed in coastal and island countries for centuries as compared to other modes of transport. It is an energy-efficient, environment-friendly and inexpensive mode of transport. A key component…
Image Credits: IMOIMO DECISIONS TO ENHANCE THE BLUE ECONOMY
The 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) was held from 24-28 October 2016, at International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Headquarters in London. The meeting adopted key decisions which are likely to have a long-lasting…
Image Credits: WikipediaMILITARY ACTIVITIES IN CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO: CONCERNS, IMPACTS AND WAY FORWARD
Introduction
Diego Garcia is a highly guarded military base of the United States and strategically situated between East Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, making it a vital outpost for basing US naval forces and projecting air and…
Image Credits: Australian Security MagazineCHINA’S ‘UNDERSEA GREAT WALL’ PROJECT: IMPLICATIONS
Introduction
Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has invested in a number of projects to strengthen the country’s security and safeguard its interests particularly in the maritime domain. One of the major areas that the…
Image Credits: Dhaka TribuneCHINA DELIVERS SUBMARINES TO BANGLADESH: IMPERATIVES, INTENTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
On 14 November 2016, Bangladesh Navy (BN) took delivery of two old refurbished Chinese Type 035G Ming-class diesel-electric submarines. As part of the US$ 203 million contract signed in 2013, the submarines were handed over to the BN crew during…

STRENGTHENING COASTAL SECURITY THROUGH COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM
Tomorrow, 26 November 2016, the nation will observe the eight anniversary of the ‘26/11’ Mumbai terrorist attacks. Precisely two months back on 26 September 2016, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)…
Image Credits: LSE BlogsCHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): THE MARITIME-STRATEGIC DIMENSION
The much-awaited China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been officially flagged off with the first consignment from China setting sail from Gwadar to the African and West Asian markets on 13 November 2016. The Corridor’s newly built western…

UN SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS MANDATE TO COMBAT PIRACY OFF SOMALIA: CALL FOR SUSTAINED INTERNATIONAL ACTION
On 09 November 2016, the United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2316 (2016), renewing authorisation for international naval forces to combat piracy off the Somali coast. The United Nations Security…
Image Credits: ORFINDIA’S EMERGING QUEST TO DEVELOP INLAND WATERWAYS
India is the seventh-largest economy in the world as measured by nominal GDP and third largest economy as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). The industrial sector registered a growth of 5.9 per cent in 2014-15, and India aims to grow…
Image Credits: Deltamarin LtdCOOPERATIVE APPROACHES TO BLUE ECONOMY: REGIONAL MARITIME EMISSION CONTROL AREAS (ECAS)
Introduction
The ‘Blue Economy’ endorses sustainable development of the seas and oceans and attempts to balance social, environmental and economic goals while promoting exploration and utilization of oceanic resources. The concept has…
Image Credits: ForbesSOUTH CHINA SEA: FROM TURBIDITY, TO SEMBLANCE OF TRANQUILITY
The unfolding events in the South China Sea (SCS) in the last one decade plus has been tumultuous to say the least. The year Code of Conduct (CoC) 1was signed in Cambodia (2002) can be taken as the bench mark year when the members of the ASEAN…
