Ethiopia proposes national maritime information centre to strengthen Red Sea trade security

Ethiopia has proposed establishing a National Maritime Information Centre to improve its awareness of security threats affecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, a trade corridor vital to the landlocked country’s economy.

Captain Kibru Mesfin of the Ethiopian Maritime Authority presented the proposal during the fifth Regional Maritime Law Enforcement Dialogue in Nairobi, according to The Reporter Ethiopia. The meeting brought together officials from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen, with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Union, INTERPOL, the International Maritime Organization and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

The proposed centre would support faster collection and exchange of maritime information. Ethiopia also called for harmonised cross-border intelligence-sharing arrangements with Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen, aimed at improving real-time maritime domain awareness and coordination among maritime authorities, coast guards and law-enforcement agencies.

Delegates discussed piracy, illegal fishing, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, narcotics trafficking and maritime terrorism. Officials warned that security pressures elsewhere in the Middle East can divert attention and patrol capacity from the Gulf of Aden, creating opportunities for criminal networks.

For Ethiopia, maritime security has a direct economic dimension despite the country having no coastline. Most of its external trade moves through Djibouti, meaning disruption at sea can raise freight and insurance costs, delay essential imports and constrain exports.

The proposal was made at a regional dialogue rather than announced as an approved government project. No implementation timetable, budget or location for the centre was reported. Further decisions would therefore be needed before it becomes operational.