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Kenya adopts Indo-Pacific technology to boost fight against maritime threats

Shipping and Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary Geoffrey Kaituko and other members of the Kenya delegation attend the 2nd steering committee meeting for the IORIS platform in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 5, 2024. (Photo: X/ Geoffrey Kaituko)

By Farhiya Hussein | Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS) platform facilitates coordination and information exchange for effective response to maritime security threats and supports sustainable fisheries.

The government has adopted a secure, web-based, maritime coordination and information-sharing tool to enhance maritime security.

The Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS) platform facilitates coordination and information exchange for effective response to maritime security threats and supports sustainable fisheries.

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It enables coordination and communication via a secure encrypted online environment providing maritime centers, organisations and agencies with a means to analyse, plan and coordinate maritime operations from the Western Indian Ocean, through Asia and Southeast Asia, and across the Pacific Ocean to Latin America

Kenya is adopting the use of the tool as a steering committee member and strategic partner of the European Union/Critical Maritime Routes Indo-Pacific project (EU/CRIMARIO II) in the Western Indian Ocean region.

Shipping and Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary Geoffrey Kaituko chats with officials attending the 2nd steering committee meeting of the IORIS platform in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 5, 2024. (Photo: X/ Geoffrey Kaituko)

Representing the country at the 2nd steering committee meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday, Shipping and Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary Geoffrey Kaituko lauded the adoption of the platform.

“Its role is to enhance day-to-day information sharing and strengthen the coordination and monitoring of maritime safety and security operations among civilian agencies and/or military users,” said Kaituko, who chairs the National Maritime Security Committee.

He also noted that the tool will enhance information exchange and analysis, as well as crisis or incident management, while strengthening inter-agency cooperation in maritime surveillance, policing, investigation and judicial matters.

“The IORIS will provide users with the unique capability to exchange operational information on a diverse range of maritime threats, in real-time, and will connect domestic and international stakeholders to address the evolving challenges manifesting within the maritime domain," he noted.

Maritime security officials pose for a picture while attending the 2nd steering committee meeting of the IORIS platform in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2024. (Photo: X/ Geoffrey Kaituko)

According to the CRIMARIO II, the IORIS "incorporates the latest encrypted technologies for ensuring a robust level of security and privacy [ and] is only accessible to authorised users, centres, or administrations designated by partner countries, maritime centres and regional organisations".

It noted that presently, 50 national and regional maritime agencies from 23 countries and organisations across the Indo-Pacific use the platform.

The steering committee meeting brought together more than 60 government agencies from the Indo-Pacific region and was co-chaired by the CRIMARIO II and the Sri Lankan Navy.

It served as another milestone for the governance of the platform which is supposed to endorse, among others, legal documents consolidating the governance structure and establishing rules for the information sharing.

Kenya’s presence in the committee is critical to enhancing maritime security.