Regional management of the Bay of Bengal water area. The challenges of maritime security

The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (part of India) to the east. The regional management of the Bay of Bengal water area is performed by regional organisations such as ASEAN, SAARC, BIMSTEC and IORA unifying Bay’s coastal states. Nevertheless, differences in political and economic interests of the states, separate conflicts between states and consequences of the pandemic not only challenged the integrity of the regional management but also led to rising insecurity of the Bay of Bengal and fears to navigate in that area. In this article, the authors, in a more detailed way, will disclose existing regional management systems, concerns related to maritime security and give recommendations on how to increase efficiency in collective management of maritime security issues and how the concept of due diligence may play the vital role in the regulation of not only maritime security aspects but also aspects of environmental protection and potential transition to the blue economy.

Totem: Soa and Its Role in the Indigenous Peoples Lives of Negeri Hutumuri - Maluku

Soa is a combination of several genealogically territorial eyes of the house. Each Soa usually has a symbol in the form of Totem, which is the identity of each Soa. Soa is still maintained until now. Even every symbol or Totem is still present in implementing traditional ceremonies. This study aimed to discover Soa and its role based on Totem in Negeri Hutumuri, South Leitimur Sub-district, Ambon City. This research is qualitative. The data source was obtained by purposive sampling. The Soa heads and traditional elders were used as informants. Data collection techniques through interviews, participatory observation, and documentation. The results of the study show: 1) Soa in the life of the people of Negeri Hutumuri consists of 5 Soa, namely Soa Pattihutung, Soa Mokihutung, Soa Tutupasar, Soa Lapaut, and Soa Puasel. 2) The role of each Soa is based on the Totem: 1. Soa Pattihutung, with the symbol of the Soa pigeon is role as an honest leader in leadership (King); 2. Soa Mokihutung symbolizes the Soa Mangole bird in charge of maintaining maritime security (Kewang sea/marine police). 3. Soa Tutupasar with the symbol of Soa, namely Soa-Soa, in charge of maintaining forest security (Kewang land/forest police). 4. Soa Lapaut, with the symbol of the Soa snake, is in charge of maintaining security and order (police/soldiers). 5. Soa Puasel, with the symbol of the Soa frog maintaining the cleanliness of water and art in the Negeri Hutumuri.

Сurrent Trends in the Interaction Between the Black Sea Littoral States

The paper deals with the сurrent peculiarities of the relations between the Black Sea littoral states (Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Turkey) with the consideration of the coronavirus pandemic that to some extent has changed the ways of the external interaction. The author analyses the role of the Black Sea region in the political discourse of each littoral state and defines the trends of the economic and military-political interaction between the Black Sea states. It is shown that the pandemic has not led to the alleviation of the confrontation between the littoral states amidst the new common challenge. Neither has it stimulated them to reassess the current challenges and threats to maritime security. On the contrary, during the fight against the pandemic the conflicting nature of their interaction exacerbated under the conditions of the absence of the united strategic basis developed by the littoral states for their policy in the Black Sea region since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The aspiration of Ukraine and Georgia to obtain military-political advantages in the Black Sea area prevailed with the support of the non-regional actors ‒ the United States, NATO and the EU.

Review Strategis Upaya Pengamanan Laut Nasional Menuju Keamanan Maritim dan Pengelolaan Ruang Laut Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia as a world maritime country and an archipelagic country which has 17,504 islands whose territorial area is dominated by the ocean. As a maritime country, Indonesia has 4 (four) points that become international chokepoints, namely the Malacca Strait, Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait and the Ombai-Wetar Strait. Indonesia has established three Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes (ALKI) for the peaceful passage of international shipping, which are guaranteed by international and national law. The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency is a Non-Ministerial State Institution whose position is under and directly responsible to the President and has the authority to enforce the law at sea and is justified by law, so that with the issuance of Law Number 32 of 2014 concerning Marine Affairs and Presidential Regulation Number 178 of 2014 concerning the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency, it can be interpreted that there is legal legitimacy for the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency in carrying out its duties, functions and authorities to carry out law enforcement against special crimes at sea. This study aims to explore Indonesia's strategic role in law enforcement at sea towards national maritime security and resilience. The method used is a literature study approach and the data analysis technique used is a qualitative data approach by conducting secondary data analysis to explain the findings obtained. This research produces findings in the form of an analysis of Indonesia's strategic role in law enforcement at sea towards maritime resilience and security both nationally and regionally.

Piracy in World History

In a modern global historical context, scholars have often regarded piracy as an essentially European concept which was inappropriately applied by the expanding European powers to the rest of the world, mainly for the purpose of furthering colonial forms of domination in the economic, political, military, legal and cultural spheres. By contrast, this edited volume highlights the relevance of both European and non-European understandings of piracy to the development of global maritime security and freedom of navigation. It explores the significance of 'legal posturing' on the part of those accused of piracy, as well as the existence of non-European laws and regulations regarding piracy and related forms of maritime violence in the early modern era. The authors in this volume highlight cases from various parts of the early-modern world, thereby explaining piracy as a global phenomenon.

Piracy and Maritime Security in the North-Western Indian Ocean: From the Gulf of Oman to the Waters off the Somali Coast

There are a daunting number of maritime security threats and challenges in the north-western Indian Ocean region, both extant and potential. Indeed, the mere fact that the Indian Ocean constitutes the world’s largest swath of maritime space that is prone to the major menace of piracy (in the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off the north-east African coastline), as well as the sporadic threat of terrorism (by Islamic militias of Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen), signifies that the region will arguably remain the maritime area with the greatest array of security challenges. However, while anti-piracy measures ought to have shaped regional policymaking, and the resources that a large and diverse group of states has devoted to addressing these maritime challenges have never been adequate to the task, largely successful coalition-building exercises and joint naval task-force operations have been encouraging. The transformation of Somali piracy from a haphazard activity into a highly organised, professionalised criminal enterprise is briefly elucidated by greed-grievance theory and supplemented by the theory of crime, also known as routine-activity theory.

NATURE AND ORIGIN OF MAJOR SECURITY CONCERNS AND POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY

During the last decades, maritime security has always stood as a separate critical problem for both shipowners and crews of sea-going ships, characterized by alternating periods of relative stability and periods of occurrence and growth of new threats, which proceeded from times of sailing fleet to an epoch of iron steam shipbuilding. Certainly, it is difficult to overestimate the significant role of the scientific community, which has been researching this problem for a long time, studying its scientific and practical sides. The professional experience of seafarers in sufficient measure, served as a basis of interest to this question, has led to the development of strategies and complex measures, which until now provided safety for ships and their crewmembers. Without recent advances in maritime security, shipping as an industry would not be able to reach the current level of reliability in shipping processes. Each generation of humanity has prioritized maritime security, contributing to improving its standards and stressing the importance of continuous development of the theoretical base. At least 23 million tons of cargo and 55,000 passengers move daily by water transport, so the concept of maritime safety applies not only to the safety of life at sea, ship and cargo security but also to the prevention of maritime accidents and pollution. The increasing share of sea and river transport in the international cargo and passenger turnover leads to the need to increase demands on maritime safety and security.