International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez has called for “vigilance” and “deeper cooperation” to counter growing threats to global maritime security.
Speaking during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) high-level open debate on maritime security at the UN Headquarters, in New York on August 11, 2025, Dominguez said shipping is one of the great enablers of the global economy, but warned that ever-present threats should not be overlooked.
“Despite geopolitical tensions, shipping has proven remarkably resilient – moving over 12.3 billion tonnes of goods in 2024, with a workforce of just 1.9 million seafarers keeping global trade afloat,” said the Panamanian.
“Yet resilience cannot breed complacency,” he added.
In 2024 alone, the IMO Secretary General said, nearly 150 incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported, “with highest numbers reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, the Indian Ocean and West Africa.”
However, piracy is not the only major challenge bedeviling the shipping sector globally.
Particularly, the industry continues to face growing challenges such as cyber-attacks; drug trafficking and fraudulent activities, which threaten to undermine the established flag State and port State regime, put in place to guarantee every ship safety and security.
“Our collective response must be rooted in prevention, constant vigilance, innovation, and continuously strengthened regional and international cooperation,” he urged.
For over two decades, Dominguez said the IMO’s capacity development projects have been instrumental in building and boosting regional capacity to address maritime security threats, with a focus on establishing and implementing information sharing and cooperative arrangements.
Successful frameworks he highlighted include: the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia; the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA) covering the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden; and the Yaoundé Code of Conduct maritime security agreement among countries in West and Central Africa.
It is under DCoC/JA that Kenya is advancing plans to establish and operationalise a National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC), targeted at enhancing its maritime security capabilities.
The DCoC/JA is a regional initiative to combat piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
“We shall be assessing where we are now and what needs to be in place, the government agencies needed at the centre and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) required so as to prepare a clear roadmap to fully operationalize the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC),” said Justus Nyarandi, Director General of the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) during a roadmap formulation workshop held in Mombasa, from 28-31 July 2025.
“This project, with a budget of EUR 1 million over 36 months, aims to enhance maritime security and safety in the Western Indian Ocean by strengthening intra-national, inter-agency and inter-regional coordination and cooperation,” said Kiruja Micheni, IMO DCoC’s Project Manager.
Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania are the target countries for the establishment of NMISCs under the initiative.