Towards Enhancing Maritime Capability in the Indian Ocean Rim

Abstract

The Indian Ocean Rim is a vast geographical entity and consists of a number of regional and subregional identities. The paper highlights the common maritime concerns of littoral nations and the need for greater engagement and collaboration to address common threats and challenges. It then traces prominent maritime cooperation initiatives in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), highlighting cooperative trends at regional, subregional and bilateral levels. Ranging from security cooperation among nations and regional cooperation for fisheries management, to multidimensional capacity building, the trends also bring forth the opportunities for furthering the cooperation. The paper explores avenues for cooperation under existing pan-IOR constructs, underscoring the need for a multi-pronged approach to capacity building, and harnessing the potential of such cooperation across various maritime disciplines.