Highlights:
Somalia’s maritime safety received a boost after Taiwan and US based Oceans beyond Piracy (OBP) signed a memorandum of understanding in Brussels in Belgium.
The MoU will allow the establishment of a Maritime Communications Initiative mainly by steadying a new communications network along the Somali coast.
Summary:
At the European Union’s recommendation the Taiwan government has pledged a USD 166,000 grant for the Maritime Communications Initiative in Somalia. The grant will be used to establish maritime security posts in 5 Somali towns; Berbera, Bosaso, Hobyo, Kismayo and Mogadishu
Taiwan and U.S. based Oceans beyond Piracy (OBP) signed an agreement that will see the maritime security along the Somali coast improved. The memorandum of understanding was signed in Brussels by the Taiwan representative to Brussels and European Union Tung Kuo-yu and James Burnell-Nugent a senior official of OBP.
The initiative is geared towards ensuring safety for both local and international shipping traffic and significantly enhancing port management practices. The initiative will not only serve to improve maritime security for Somalia but the entire region which has deteriorated since the uprising of al Shabaab militants and piracy in a country that has one of the longest coast in Africa.
Additionally, centers established will work collaboratively with international naval forces and local authorities as a way of avoiding conflict between locals and international partners at sea.
Oceans beyond Piracy (OBP) is a non-profit organization set up in 2010 with the sole purpose of curbing maritime piracy through facilitating the development of private-public coalitions and rallying stakeholders from the maritime community.
