New maritime equipment to boost surveillance |29 December 2023

Maritime surveillance of the Joint Management Area (JMA) will be enhanced with the recent procurement of highly efficient equipment provided to the Seychelles Coast Guard.

The equipment, which included high-frequency radios and a rugged laptop worth $26,706.14 (R355,857.21), was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) following a request made by the Joint Commission for JMA and the Department for Blue Economy on behalf of the Seychelles Coast Guard.

Those tools are highly required for maritime Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) of the JMA, which is an area of the seabed and its underlying sub-soil in the Mascarene Plateau Region being jointly managed by Seychelles and Mauritius. Whilst both countries have existing national MCS systems that are adequate for the existing coastal waters. JMA is a far and vast area of continental shelf remotely located outside our Exclusive Economic Zone, in the south-eastern part of Mahe, which makes surveillance of the area a logistical and financial challenge.

Investing in maritime MCS equipment capability is essential to safeguard the natural living and non-living resources in the JMA over which both States have sovereign rights.

 “It has been crucial for the Department of Blue Economy to facilitate the procurement of such equipment as it is one of our priority targets to support the execution of activities related to maritime surveillance to secure biodiversity and prevent pollution and other harmful risks to marine resources in that area,” said Chrissant Barbe, Focal Point for JMA.

As per its usual consultative approach, the Department of Blue Economy gathered the support of its national stakeholders and experts on the Technical Committee to ensure that Seychelle's best interest is met in the JMA.

“The Technical Committee and the Joint Commission for JMA have been instrumental in ensuring that in close consultations with the Coast Guards of both countries, resources through this regional project are provided to help in the fight against all illegal activities, especially those concerning fishing by unauthorised vessels,” said Philippe Michaud, the co-chair of the Seychelles technical committee of the joint commission of the extended continental shelf.

The Seychelles Coastguard welcomed such an initiative as those communication tools will be handy during patrol and observation at sea.

 “We extend our gratitude and thanks to the Department of Blue Economy and the committee. This communication equipment will surely increase our maritime Domain Awareness equipment, and the Seychelles Coast Guard will be more equipped to communicate and monitor maritime activities in the JMA. Moreover, since those are the latest technological investments, they will enhance better communication between vessels at sea and shore station” said Lieutenant Colonel David Arrisol from the Seychelles Coast Guard.

The equipment will be in use early in 2024.

Contributed