The Philippine National Maritime Centre, with EU support under the CRIMARIO II project, conducted Exercise ALALAYAN 2024 to promote safety at sea on 25 and 26 April in Palawan, with the participation of 22 Philippine agencies, the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported.
The aim of the exercise was to improve inter-agency interoperability in the fight against maritime threats such as drug trafficking, illegal transport of endangered species, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and search and rescue around the city of Puerto Princesa.
Using IORIS, a platform for analysis and information exchange in the Indo-Pacific, the agencies simulated and tackled a number of complex scenarios.
The success of the exercise highlighted techniques that will improve joint response capabilities and the effectiveness of IORIS in inter-agency coordination for actions at sea.
“This exercise demonstrates the Philippines’ commitment to strengthening maritime safety and security at national level. By taking advantage of IORIS, it fosters cooperation between maritime agencies and the agencies involved”, said EU ambassador Luc Véron. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)