How to protect critical maritime infrastructures – event summary

By Christian Bueger The attack on the Nord Stream attack has brought much attention to critical maritime infrastructures and their protection. Yet, we are far from a solid understanding of what critical maritime infrastructures are and what kind of protection they need. To contribute to this critical knowledge the ocean infrastructure research group of the … Read more

Nord Stream pipeline sabotage: how an attack could have been carried out and why Europe was defenceless

By Christian Bueger Whatever caused the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, it appears to be the first major attack on critical “subsea” (underwater) infrastructure in Europe. It’s now widely thought – not least by Nato – that the explosions that led to major leaks in the two pipelines were not caused by accidents. … Read more

Implementing the UK’s Indo-Pacific ’tilt’ in Southeast Asia through equitable and sustainable partnerships

By Robert Yates & Scott Edwards In June 2022, the University of Bristol hosted a workshop bringing together academics working on Southeast Asia. From a variety of disciplines, participants explored what an integrated presence could look like, and the different dynamics the UK needs to consider. This policy report summarises the findings of the workshop … Read more

Can the new contact group add value in the Western Indian Ocean? 4 scenarios

by Christian Bueger 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. The CGPCS had been an instrumental part in containing piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Since its installation in 2009 … Read more

Maritime Security in Ghana: The next steps

Tackling maritime insecurity in order to enhance the blue economy, restore ocean health, but also to strengthen blue justice, continues to be one of the major challenges for today’s governments. Much attention is being paid to these ocean challenges in countries across the African continent. For outside observers, Ghana has emerged as an African role … Read more

Policy brief – Negotiating Capacity Building: The case of maritime security projects in Ghana

The Gulf of Guinea is a global hotspot for maritime insecurity. Ghana, a country in this region, has had its share of blue crime in its waters. This makes it a relevant object of study partly because the country continues to suffer acts of maritime insecurity, including piracy. At the same time, it is also … Read more

Beyond Competition: Why the U.S. must cooperate with China and Russia for Maritime Stability

By Jan Stockbruegger and Christian Bueger Great power competition with China and Russia dominates debates in Washington. Few analysts therefore paid attention when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders at the UN Security Council for a high-level debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security — A Case for International Cooperation” … Read more

Beyond Triple Invisibility: Do Submarine Data Cables Require Better Security?

By Christian Bueger and Tobias Liebetrau. Submarine data cables are the core critical infrastructure of the digital age. 99 percent of the world’s digital communications transit through the global cable network: Zoom meetings, emails, hotel reservations, flight bookings, and financial transactions depend on it. All of this data does not travel through satellites or the … 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

Jersey fishing dispute: why the UK sent in the navy and how to resolve the spat

By Scott Edwards & Tim Edmunds. Article originally published in The Conversation On the morning of Thursday 6 May, French fishers threatened to blockade Jersey’s main port of St Helier, following a threat by French maritime minister Annick Girardin to cut off the island’s electricity supply. Both countries sent maritime patrol vessels to the area, … Read more