Sirius Insight was proud to be a sponsor of the Commonwealth Maritime Domain Awareness Summit yesterday. Hearing the different perspectives of leaders and experts from across The Commonwealth, one fact stood out: that 53 of the 56 member states are coastal and small island states - more accurately described as “small island, big ocean” states. Their marine areas (Economic Exclusion Zones) are hundreds to thousands of times larger than their landmass. The maritime domain is essential to their blue economies, national security, livelihoods and culture, however, monitoring and managing such vast sea spaces is a considerable challenge.
Building on the momentum of the Apia Oceans Declaration Conference from last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), it’s clear there is a growing commitment to strengthen the Commonwealth community’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), improving information sharing and enhancing cooperation to counter transnational threats such as illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, piracy and smuggling.
In considering practical actions to strengthen stewardship of marine areas, we were pleased to contribute to the conversations about the availability and lower cost of multi-use technology that Sirius Insight is delivering today. Our solutions are designed to expand and enrich existing data streams to national maritime operations centres and Maritime Information Sharing Mechanisms.
A sincere thank you to the Commonwealth Security & Resilience Group for organising this timely event. We look forward to continuing the conversations.