Two centres to enhance maritime security to be launched |28 June 2017

Two maritime security centres ‒ the National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre, and the Regional Coordination and Operations Centre ‒ located at Bois de Rose will be officially commissioned this weekend.

The National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre (NISCC), being a national entity, will have as its mission to co-ordinate and manage the ever increasing level of activities within the maritime sector, such as to provide sufficient maritime security necessary for the sustainable development of the blue economy sector, while operating the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), coordinating oil spills and responses to coastal maritime crime and as well as operating the Coastal Radio Station.

The law enforcement agencies will concentrate their efforts in responding to incidents at sea and educating the maritime space users on various safety issues and secure ways to make sustainable use of maritime resources.

In this new approach, the task of coordinating the non-security matters at sea will migrate to the new national structure that will be manned by a team of professional civilians operating in the maritime and aeronautical space  working together with the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF), the Seychelles Coastguards  and other partners whose mandate involve the coordination of emergency responses to activities such as oil spills, search and rescue sea operations, maritime safety, security and law enforcement issues.

The NISCC will act as a first point of contact and as the centre of maritime security operations for key national stakeholders.

The setting up of the Regional Centre for Operational Co-ordination (RCOC) follows an urgent appeal made in Djibouti last year by the Community of the Eastern Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (ESA-IO) for Seychelles to host an RCOC alongside the Regional Maritime Information Infusion Centre (RMIFC) based in Madagascar.

As agreed by the Indian Ocean Commission Council of Ministers, the RCOC will operate under the Regional Programme to Promote Maritime Security (MASE) which has a budget of Euros 37.5m and will be responsible to organise operational response at sea jointly with the Regional States of the Eastern and Southern Africa-Indian Ocean (ESA-IO) with the objective of preventing actions or situations affecting maritime security in the ESA-IO region in accordance  with the provisions of the international maritime law.

The establishment of both the NISCC and RCOC is a commitment made by President Danny Faure to tackle all forms of illicit activities at sea within the region, namely drugs as well as anti-piracy efforts noting that instability in Somalia still persists.

While the NISCC will be manned by Seychellois personnel seconded from various national entities, the RCOC will have a joint Seychellois and regional presence of personnel. 

Full operational status for the NISCC is envisioned in stages, with full operations being realised within a period of between three to five years, while the RCOC will gear up rapidly with full operations scheduled by end of 2018.