New Commentary: the contact group in the Western Indian Ocean

In early 2022 a subtle, but substantial shift took place in the Western Indian Ocean’s security architecture: The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (known as CGPCS) closed shop. It was replaced by a new format. Yet, not much action followed. In a new commentary, Christian Bueger investigates the prospects of the … Read more

Policy brief – Developing A Comprehensive National Integrated Maritime Strategy: The Case of Ghana

Ghana has made tremendous strides towards the adoption of a National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS). This strategy will place the country alongside Togo and Côte d’Ivoire in the sub-region to have a robust maritime strategy that will outline a decisive vision with clear objectives, guiding principles and time-measured targets and deliverables to be achieved. The … Read more

New article – how to improve the maritime security architecture in the Western Indian Ocean

Professor Christian Bueger and Dr. Jan Stockbruegger have conducted a review of the current security situation in the Western Indian Ocean. The study is published in African Security Review. They show which insecurities are on the rise and argue that the rise of geopolitical concerns increasingly produces a militarization dilemma: foreign naval forces are needed … Read more

SafeSeas submits joint evidence to ‘International Relations and Defence Committee’

SafeSeas submitted evidence to the UK’s House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee inquiry ‘UNCLOS: fit for purpose in the 21st century?’ The evidence can be downloaded here. The inquiry explored the extent to which the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into force in 1994, remains fit for … Read more

Policy brief – “Simplifying Complexities: Interagency Coordination in Ghana’s Maritime Security Governance”

The Gulf of Guinea is a global hotspot for maritime insecurity. The recent surge in piratical attacks in the region, but also the spread of the menace into Ghana’s maritime domain has catapulted the subject of maritime security governance into the public domain. Furthermore, in the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of … Read more

New SafeSeas & Stable Seas report: ‘What We Know About Maritime Illicit Trades’

What We Know About Maritime Illicit Trades is the second in a series of reports as part of the Transnational Organized Crime at Sea: New Evidence for Better Responses project. The project is a collaboration between SafeSeas and the One Earth Future Foundation’s Stable Seas program and is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research … Read more

Book on Capacity Building for Maritime Security published

How can countries step up their maritime security? How can they better tackle challenges, such as illegal fishing, marine piracy or smuggling? How can the international community better assist countries with weaker capacities? A major new book authored by the SafeSeas team addresses these and related questions. The book draws on an 18 months research … Read more

SafeSeas publishes further analysis of Mauritius oil spill

What are the consequences of the oil spill in Mauritius for the regional maritime security agenda in the Western Indian Ocean. In a new commentary published by the Observer Research Foundation, Christian Bueger and Tim Edmunds discuss what kind of capacity building will be needed in the future and what regional issues need to be … Read more

SafeSeas researchers comment on Beirut explosion

In the afternoon of August 4th, a major explosion in the port of Beirut killed over 100 people and left thousands wounded. Given the importance of the port for Lebanon’s economy, the consequences will be felt for years. SafeSeas researcher Christian Bueger and Scott Edwards have written a series of commentaries as well as gave … Read more