ROYAL MOROCCAN NAVY: NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR BETTER MARITIME SECURITY AWARENESS" Captain Abdelkrim MAALOUF Head of Division at Royal Moroccan Navy HQ Admiral, distinguished audience, It is an honor and a great pleasure to be here for the fourth time in this beautiful city in order to participate to the ninth edition of the Venice Regional Symposium on Maritime Security. The last time was during the previous edition. The panel I had the honor to chair had addressed the issue of Dialogue and Cooperation, as factors contributing to Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA). We concluded unanimously that the MSA cannot be limited to the exchange of information and that the physical presence of naval ships is the only way for deterring the illegal use of the sea. Developments experienced by the maritime world in recent years has shown that the MSA has become a major concern, given the necessity to keep informed in real time, in order to ensure a better awareness of all the activities taking place in the maritime domain, whether be economical, related to security, environmental, etc.. This requires organization, planning and conduct that reflect the issues and challenges that are mostly illegal activities including illegal migration, drug trafficking, terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and marine pollution. To cope with these issues, coastal States are increasingly required to coordinate their actions, but also to develop other mechanisms and furthermore allow to increase their capacity to ensure maritime safety. The approach is first to act at national level by the implementation of organizational resources and material resources, as well as coordination and research of synergies between the various actors and departments of the state, and then regionally and by the international development of active cooperation between coastal States friends and allies. As far as the Kingdom of Morocco is concerned, maritime safety has always been and continues to be the primary mission of the Royal Navy. In fact, our Navy has worked regularly for the establishment of adequate structures and the implementation of appropriate mechanisms for improving Maritime Situational Awareness through its own assets and through national, regional and international cooperation. My intervention is part of the third panel of the symposium and is entitled "Royal Moroccan Navy and new perspectives for a better MSA." It will focus on the efforts and actions taken at the national, regional and international levels to improve maritime domain awareness and the establishment of a maritime capability to even allow the strengthening of maritime security. The presentation will consist of three main parts: First, a reminder of the importance of the sea to the Kingdom: the issues and challenges; I will then describe the systems and mechanisms put in place at national, regional and international levels to improve maritime safety;
And finally, I will conclude with the recent efforts and the development of a better approach to MSA. 1. Importance of the sea to the Kingdom of Morocco: Issues and Challenges Located in the North-West of Africa, and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Kingdom of Morocco holds a strategic position to play a central role in enhancing the safety and security of international shipping. Its location close to Europe, and also its control of the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar beside large maritime areas (more than 3500 km of coastline) are considerable strengths, but in the same time weaknesses if we consider the various security problems it may pose. The Kingdom of Morocco has many issues and challenges to deal with. 1.1 The issues: They are economic, social, ecological and even strategic. The sea is undeniably vital to the Kingdom and the stakes are very high indeed: It ensures unlimited freedom to communicate and interact with the world, 90% of the trade is done by sea; Its vast economic area is a huge reservoir of biological and mineral resources of great interest for the national economy; 55% of the urban population of Morocco lives in the major cities along the coast, as well as the largest infrastructure in development, now becoming vital for the national economy. 1.2 The challenges: Freedom of navigation and maritime traffic growth has been accompanied by a growth of illegal activities. The major challenges facing the Kingdom in this context are mainly: - Illegal migration, particularly to Europe; Migration flows to Europe has not declined despite the current economic crisis. The Kingdom of Morocco, mainly a country of origin, has gradually become a transit country. Almost all of the candidates are from illegal migration SSA. Despite considerable resources allocated by the Royal Navy, it is difficult to contain this phenomenon. - The rise of drug trafficking in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic Because of its proximity to Europe on one hand and the considerable profits generated by drug trafficking on the other hand, this illegal activity continues to grow. Employment of go-fasts and small aircrafts by traffickers, combined with very subtle deceiving techniques, makes them practically invulnerable. This situation can lead to illegal activities more lucrative such as arms trafficking; but given the severity of the Moroccan legal system on arms, it is very unlikely that this type of traffic can be attempted. - The multiplication of accidental or voluntary pollution; It is the result of the increasing flow of maritime traffic along both coastlines and particularly in the Strait of Gibraltar, where more than 300 vessels pass through
every day. This increase in the density of maritime traffic has also an impact on maritime safety which becomes increasingly expensive and hazardous. - Terrorism and piracy; Our coastal areas are not concerned with this kind of illegal activities. However, the developments in the region require alertness and to take all necessary measures in order to prevent any further developments. The risk of spread to the North of the piracy plaguing the Gulf of Guinea and particularly the use of the maritime domain by terrorists, who take advantage of instabilities in the Sahel countries, should not be ignored. - Illegal fishing; This phenomenon is gradually decreasing thanks to the effective use of monitoring systems. The importance of the fisheries sector to the national economy is supported by the following figures: it represents 3% of GDP, 16% of total exports and contributes to the creation of 450,000 jobs. 2. Measures implemented to improve THE MSA Organized crime, illegal migration, trafficking in human beings, drug smuggling, deliberate or accidental damage to the environment, the illegal exploitation of the resources of the Exclusive Economic Zone, piracy, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disruption of sea lines of communication and insecurity at sea are threats or challenges faced by the entire international community. All these threats at sea, from non-state actors are increasingly important and transnational or global in nature. They require a coordinated approach for better maritime security, knowing that no State alone has sufficient resources to fight them alone. This international coordination depends on an integrated approach at the national level through the coordination and cooperation between all maritime stakeholders (navies, coast guard, civil actors of the public force, etc.).. To strengthen maritime security in the waters under its jurisdiction and to fulfill its commitments, Morocco has always adhered to the various international initiatives and supported all actions to ensure maritime safety and security. 2.1 At the international level: Morocco has ratified almost all relevant maritime conventions, including: Agreements on assistance to persons and property at sea (SOLAS 78 and SAR 79); Agreements on the fight against marine pollution (MARPOL 78 CLC92 FC and 92); The Convention on the suppression of unlawful acts at sea (SAU 88); Safety Code for ships and ports: ISPS Code 2004; The Montego Bay Convention of 1982, which devoted a division of maritime space by giving coastal state prerogatives in areas under their jurisdiction. Regarding efforts to fight against drugs, many formal agreements guide our conduct, especially: The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961; Convention against trafficking in psychotropic substances of 1971;
The United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, which reinforce the provisions of the two conventions mentioned above. 2.2 At the regional level: These actions are accompanied by international engagement at the regional level to strengthen cooperation in the maritime domain. This is indeed the objective assigned to: The Barcelona Convention in 1976 as fields of action with the Mediterranean; The Tripartite Agreement (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) to fight against marine pollution at regional level; The Lisbon Agreement between Morocco, Portugal, Spain and France, marine pollution, on the Atlantic coast; The initiative (5 +5) defense applies in particular to maritime security in the Western Mediterranean; Adoption of Moroccan-Spanish joint patrols in the south Atlantic in the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean, particularly in the Strait of Gibraltar; Active contribution to the coordination center of the fight against drugs in the Mediterranean (CECLAD-A), based in Toulon and launched on 22 May 2009. 2.3 At the national level: Taking into account the various recommendations of international organizations, and the need for a national operational tool in the fight against various risks, Morocco has adopted the following measures: a) The fight against accidental marine pollution, Morocco has established an emergency plan called "National Emergency Plan to Fight against accidental marine pollution (NEP). This NEP is headed by a national coordinator who leads a Staff in charge of managing a pollution situation; the Staff consists of representatives from all national departments and agencies related to the maritime domain. The Royal Navy is responsible, in this context, for the coordination and the direction of the entire response operations, and the management of human and material resources mobilized. b) As for SAR management, Morocco has developed a national SAR plan in consultation with the departments concerned. This plan has established a National Commission chaired by the Head of Government which is responsible for: Defining national policy in this area; Providing programs for the development and improvement of research and saving lives at sea; Promoting international and regional cooperation. c) Regarding the fight against illegal migration, two high-level institutions responsible for migration were created:
The Directorate of Migration and Border Surveillance, whose primary mission is the operational implementation of the national strategy in the fight against the networks of human trafficking and border surveillance; An observatory of migration to centralize all information related to the migration and updates a database of statistics at the national level. d) As regards to sea fishing, domestic regulations are set to organize and regulate the access to fisheries and put in place measures to protect the resource. The Royal Navy is responsible under existing laws to enforce the rules and regulations in the Exclusive Economic Zone pertaining to fisheries. e) Among other measures: The compliance with the ISPS (International Ships and Ports Security), which came into force in 2004; The fittings of merchant vessels with AIS transponders; The establishment of new structures based on flexibility and decentralized operational control, to better deal with the issue of maritime security; At the Royal Navy level, it is worth to note the following actions: The establishment of new structures focusing on proximity and decentralized operational control, to better deal with the issue of maritime security; The expansion and network integration of coastal semaphore stations, providing coverage for most of the coast; Reinforcement of patrolling missions increasing therefore surveillance and control at sea; Investment in "new generation" telecommunications technologies to increase the capacity of command, control and communications of the maritime operations centers. The results achieved were generally satisfactory. Regarding the fight against drugs, the quantities of Cannabis ceased has increased to 142% up to 30.09.12 compared to the year 2011. The fight against illegal migration is showing the same trend. In fact, an increase of 155% up to 30.09.12 compared to the year 2011 and more than threefold compared to 2010. 3. Recent efforts and the development of a better approach to MSA It is clear that the pragmatic actions developed by the Kingdom of Morocco reiterate its determination to preserve the security of the maritime areas under its jurisdiction and to keep its coasts free of threats. This determination is materialized by building new capacities for the Royal Navy and especially the orientation shown in the five-year budget plan 2007-2011, with a positive impact on the improvement of the Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA). In fact, since the beginning of the third millennium, the Royal Moroccan Navy has initiated important developments. First, with the acquisition of two Surveillance Frigates (Type Floreal), and the introduction of naval aviation component. This new capacity provided a
significant extended range to patrol units and therefore an added value in the field of maritime situational awareness. Then, the acquisition of multi-mission frigates, namely three SIGMA-class frigates and the FREMM type, this represents a significant contribution to naval assets and capabilities of the Royal Moroccan Navy. Maritime capacity building through the acquisition of combat ships of last generation will more likely lead to: Contribute to a more elaborate Maritime Situational Awareness through a better control of the Exclusive Economic Zone thereby enhancing maritime security, by deterrence but moreover thanks to the interception and control capabilities of welltrained MIO teams onboard those ships; Opening new horizons for cooperation with the navies of friendly countries or within the framework of existing cooperation. These new combat units make it possible to improve our arrangements to participate comfortably in transactions with friends and allies (Active Endeavour) and to achieve interoperability, both conceptual and material, now a priority of the Royal Navy and its partners. Maritime safety being the main objective, it is only through maritime situational awareness that this objective can be achieved, which itself relies on the input of the naval assets deployed in the maritime area of responsibility. The information provided by these resources is actually very valuable regardless of the mission they are tasked for. Therefore, the interdependence of the three concepts MSA-MSO and MCB is obvious. The maritime capacity building is also the result of recent efforts directed towards regional cooperation. Exercise "SAHARAN EXPRESS", which the last two editions were held in Senegalese waters, is the best example. The impact of this exercise, as well as similar ones conducted especially with friends and allies or as part of the initiative (5+5), on the Maritime Capacity Building is evident and can be observed at the level achieved in interoperability, at the legal training regarding the rules of engagement and even better at increasing the complexity of operations MIO. The interest towards the countries in West Africa is likely to prepare them to face the very real issues that threaten the maritime region consequently to the recent instability in the countries of the Sahel. The risk that these instabilities affect the maritime area is real and cannot be ignored. Let me take this opportunity to extend, from this podium, my congratulations and support to all the crews of the vessels that embody our commitment to move forward in all these areas. Admiral distinguished audience, After highlighting the importance of maritime safety for the Royal Moroccan Navy and the efforts made to control the maritime domain, I want to reiterate the absolute necessity of cooperation in this field at national, regional and international levels. During recent years, Morocco has made a considerable effort in modernizing major naval assets. This action is intended to contribute to regional and international maritime security that can only develop thanks to the cooperation, dialogue and confidence-building between our countries.
To conclude, I would like to congratulate the Italian Navy for the excellent organization of this symposium and thank Admiral MANTELLI Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy for the quality of welcome, generosity and hospitality extended to us since our arrival. I would like also to thank the associate city authorities and at their head the Mayor for all arrangements to make our stay as pleasant as possible.