Naval officers meet in Cebu to boost maritime security

SHIP captains and naval military officers from over 50 countries gathered in Cebu with the aim to strengthen maritime security.

Around 100 delegates from 54 different countries in the Indo-Pacific Region visited Cebu to attend the annual Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (Ioris) Steering Committee event held at a resort in Barangay Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City.

The Ioris platform is a computer system used by mariners and the military to identify ships passing through the sea. Through this, threats can be easily identified. It can also provide maritime security through the exchange of information between countries.

The two-day Ioris Steering Committee event was attended by the European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro.

 Santoro explained that one of the purposes of their endeavor was to present to ship captains and maritime military representatives their upgraded Ioris 4, which is more advanced and user-friendly.

With their enhanced system, maritime security will be further strengthened, and illegal activities of ships, such as illegal fishing, illegal drug trafficking, and smuggling, will be easily tracked and identified.

In addition, operations conducted by Coast Guard and Navy personnel such as search and rescue operations, medical evacuations, fire emergencies on ships, or man overboard situations, can also be carried out easier.

Most of those who attended the event were leaders and representatives from the Coast Guard, Navy Intel, Customs, Port Police, and other maritime agencies in Asia and Europe.

The Crimario 2 project, led by its director, Martin Cauchi Inglott, developed and created the Ioris platform.

Inglott said that through the system, which they have been developing since 2018, numerous cases of illegal drug trafficking, smuggling, and piracy have been thwarted with the help of Ioris. Many lives have also been saved or rescued at sea, he added.

He said that 140 merchant ships passing through the Red Sea also use the Ioris so they can communicate with the military to protect their cargo.

During the event, various representatives and commanders of the Navy and Coast Guard from other countries shared their successful operations, which were achieved with the help of the Ioris. / ANV