Maritime Security Challenges: Initiatives, Developments and Safety Measures within the Indian Ocean Region

The main objective of this paper is to highlight maritime security challenges within the South Western Indian Ocean Region; especially by India and South Africa and to explore the maritime initiatives and developments embarked upon by the two countries respectively. The East coast of South Africa and the West coast of India share the same oceanic territory, i.e. the Indian Ocean. This research paper addresses important maritime developments in the South Western Indian Ocean region and highlights the diverse intensification of planned maritime activities in the vicinity. The developments range from safety and security cooperation among nation states, to an increase in maritime piracy, human and drug trafficking within the mentioned area. The article explores the main concerns and examines the efforts undertaken both by South Africa and India to meet the challenges posed by these developments in order to achieve short-term and long-term maritime security within the South Western Indian Ocean.