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Virtual-Regional Maritime Traffic Centre (V-RMTC)/Trans-Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN)

The V-RMTC is a virtual network connecting Maritime Operation Centres of member Navies. Through the system, based on commercial hardware and a software developed within the Italian Navy, it is possible to share among participants selected unclassified information related to merchant shipping (bigger than 300 tons). The hub of the V-RMTC is located in Rome, at the Italian Maritime Operation Centre (MOC) of the Fleet Command Headquarter (CINCNAV). The MOC gathers and merges the information received, broadcasts a single near-real time recognized picture to all V-RMTC participating Navies. The community has 33 member Navies. V-RMTC: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, the US. T-RMN: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Peru. Following Navies may also join - Ghana, Qatar, Australia, Japan, Cameroon, and Ecuador.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Safety Including Vessel Traffic Management
Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance

Sweden-Denmark-Germany SWEDENGER Agreement 2002

The SWEDENGER Agreement is a joint response plan between Sweden, Denmark and Germany for dealing with maritime incidents involving Oil and other Harmful Substances and Co-operation in Aerial Surveillance in the Western Baltic Sea Area.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Environmental Protection & Response
Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
Maritime Accident and Disaster Response
Countries involved

South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO)

Source: SPRFMO Website

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation is an inter-governmental organisation that is committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the South Pacific Ocean and in so doing safeguarding the marine ecosystems in which the resources occur. The SPRFMO Convention applies to the high seas of the South Pacific, covering about a fourth of the Earth's high seas areas. There are 15 members: Australia, Peoples Republic of China, Cuba, the European Union, Republic of Korea, Peru, Chinese Taipei, Vanuatu, Chile, Cook Islands, Ecuador, Denmark (in respect of Faroe Islands), New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States. Cooperating non-contracting parties are Columbia, Curacao, Liberia and Panama.

Coast Guard Functions
Fisheries Inspection & Control
EU

South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA)

Source: SIOFA Website

The objectives of this Agreement are to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the Area through cooperation among the Contracting Parties, and to promote the sustainable development of fisheries in the Area. It covers fishery resources including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and other sedentary species within the area, but excluding highly migratory species and sedentary species subject to the fishery jurisdiction of coastal states. SIOFA has nine Contracting Parties: Australia, the Cook Islands, the European Union, France (on behalf of its Indian Ocean Territories), Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Thailand. In addition, Chinese Taipei is deemed a fishing entity and Comoros is a cooperating non-Contracting Party. Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and New Zealand are also signatories, but they have not yet ratified the agreement.

Coast Guard Functions
Fisheries Inspection & Control
EU

South-East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO)

Source: SEAFO Website

The South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) is an intergovernmental fisheries science and management body. Its primary purpose is to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of all living marine resources in the South East Atlantic Ocean, and to safeguard the environment and marine ecosystems in which the resources occur. The Convention excludes the EEZ’s of the coastal states. The contracting parties are Angola, the EU, Japan, Republic of Korea, Namibia, Norway and South Africa.

Coast Guard Functions
Fisheries Inspection & Control
Countries involved

Sea Surveillance Cooperation Baltic Sea (SUCBAS)

Source: SUCBAS Website

SUCBAS is a cornerstone for sea surveillance, information exchange and co-operation within the Baltic Sea area and its approaches. The aim of the co-operation is to enhance Maritime Situational Awareness benefiting maritime safety, security, environmental and law enforcement activities in the region by sharing relevant maritime data, information and knowledge between the participants. The SUCBAS cooperation comprises Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and United Kingdom. The initiative is led by the navies of these countries. In recognition of the fact that responsibility for of maritime surveillance, maritime safety, maritime security, the maritime environment and maritime law enforcement are implemented differently in each country, SUCBAS information is shared among national governmental institutions with a maritime responsibility regardless if civil or military, at their discretion.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Safety Including Vessel Traffic Management
Ship Casualty & Maritime Assistance Service
Fisheries Inspection & Control
Maritime Border Control
Maritime Environmental Protection & Response
Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
Maritime Ship and Port Security

Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC)

Source: REMPEC Website

In 1976, a Conference of Plenipotentiaries representing sixteen Mediterranean coastal States and the European Communities adopted the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution (Barcelona Convention). This included the “Regional Oil Combating Centre” (ROCC) with the mandate to strengthen the capacities of coastal States in the Mediterranean region. It also facilitates cooperation among those States to combat massive marine pollution by oil, particularly by developing national capacities to combat oil pollution and by establishing a regional information system with a view to dealing with marine pollution emergencies. In 1989, the name of the Centre was changed to the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC). The International Maritime Organization (IMO), in cooperation with UNEP/MAP, administers REMPEC.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Environmental Protection & Response
Maritime Accident and Disaster Response

Portugal-Spain ESPPS Exchange of Situational Picture of Neighbouring External Border Sections between the National Coordination Centres

Source: GNR Website

According to the EUROSUR regulation, the national coordination centres of neighbouring Member States shall share with each other, directly and in near real time, the situational picture of neighbouring external border sections. In this regard the information collected from the national surveillance systems in the neighbouring border sections of Portugal and Spain is shared directly and in near real time among them, contributing to improve the situational awareness and to increase reaction capability.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
Countries involved

Portugal-Spain Memorandum of Cooperation between GNR and Guardia Civil

Source: GNR Website

Establishes effective coordination pillars, especially for the exchange of information, supported in the case of police operations, reinforcement of training programs and management of services and staff.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Monitoring and Surveillance
Countries involved

France (Martinique)-Saint Lucia: Bilateral Arrangement for Cooperation between SAR Services (2001)

Source: Ministry for an Ecological and Solidary Transition – Directorate for Maritime Affairs

The Government of Saint Lucia and the Government of the French Republic passed an agreement on maritime search and rescue. Based on the SAR conferences held in Caracas (Venezuela) in 1984 and in Lisbon (Portugal) in 1994, which made France responsible for a maritime Search and Rescue Region (SRR), in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Caribbean Sea, in which Saint Lucia is geographically located. In this SRR, the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is MRCC Fort-de-France.

Coast Guard Functions
Maritime Search and Rescue
Countries involved

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