NEW SEARCH AND RESCUE CENTER MAY BOLSTER

UNCLAS NAIROBI 002059

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EWWT PHSA PTER PREL IMO KE
SUBJECT: NEW SEARCH AND RESCUE CENTER MAY BOLSTER
ANTI-PIRACY EFFORTS IN THE REGION

REF: NAIROBI 1707


1. Summary: The recent launch of a new regional search and
rescue center in Mombasa could potentially serve as crucial
resource in furthering maritime security in the region.
However, the limited capacity of maritime forces may
undermine the center's effectiveness. Incidents of piracy in
the region remain a concern for authorities, and at least one
Kenyan official has expressed interest in ways to co-ordinate
anti-piracy efforts with U.S. and multinational maritime
forces operating in the region. End Summary.

Expanding SAR Coverage
--------------

2. (U) A new Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center (MRCC),
supported by the International Maritime Organization, was
launched in Mombasa on May 5. The new Center will serve as a
search and rescue center to receive and relay messages of
vessels in distress along Africa's eastern coast. The Center
is one of five MRCC's planned to enhance effective search and
rescue coverage along the coasts of Africa; three are planned
for West Africa and another is expected to open in Cape Town,
South Africa, later this year. The new MRCC in Mombasa is
part of this regional search and rescue system and will
extend coverage along the Eastern coast of Africa out into
the Western Indian Ocean. Two Maritime Rescue Sub-Centers
are located in Victoria, Seychelles and Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania. According to Peter Thuo, the Director of Shipping
and Maritime Affairs at Kenya's Ministry of Transport, the
Center is fully operational, equipped with two satellites to
receive signals from as far away as the Atlantic ocean. All
that remains is for the Center to send out a maritime notice,
informing vessels of which frequencies to use to contact the
Center. All vessels fitted with Global Maritime Distress and
Safety Systems will be able to respond to such ship to shore
alerting.

An SOS, But Then What?
--------------

3. (SBU) Once a vessel's distress signal is received by the
Center, the MRCC will broadcast the message to all vessels in
the area, who then would render assistance to the vessel in
need. While the primary function of the Center is to enhance
search and rescue operations, this system may have
applications in instances of piracy off the cost of Somalia.
Thuo told poloff he hopes to see the Center expand into
assisting in responding to acts of piracy (and, indeed, this
is the angle that has received the most public media play in
Kenya). He expressed the hope that the Center might be able
to liaise with the U.S. maritime forces in the region and/or
CTF-150 to relay piracy-related distress messages and involve
such international forces in anti-piracy operations. For the
time being, however, the Center will primarily have to rely
on merchant vessels (including cargo and passenger ships) to
respond to distress messages as Kenya lacks a national coast
guard and its navy lacks the capacity to effectively respond
to distress calls. According to Thuo, Tanzania's naval
capabilities are significantly below even that of Kenya. He
suggested that capacity building training and equipment for
the Kenyan Navy may be one way in which the USG can
contribute to strengthen regional effectiveness.


4. (SBU) While welcoming the role of international forces in
the region, Thuo stressed that the capabilities of the
region's host nations need to be bolstered to effectively
respond to maritime security issues. He informed poloff that
increased regional maritime interdiction capabilities was
among the priority recommendations resulting from the
regional anti-piracy conference sponsored by Kenya held in
Mombasa in late February. The Conference concluded with
plans for a Joint Communiqu on piracy issues, which has yet
to be finalized or published. Thuo assured poloff that an

official report on the conference would be forthcoming. Thuo
expressed the desire to hold a follow-on conference or
meeting with relevant parties to evaluate where things stand
on the issues raised at the February conference.

Kenya's Commitment to Maritime Security
--------------

5. (SBU) Should the MRCC expand its mandate to include
anti-piracy efforts, the Center could play an instrumental
role in ensuring maritime security in the region. Kenya has
signed and ratified the UN Convention for the Suppression of
Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation
(SUA),but has yet to incorporate the provisions into
domestic law. A new Merchant's Shipping Bill, which would
domesticate the SUA Convention, is ready to be presented
before Parliament. However, given the National Assembly's
lackluster performance in swiftly passing much needed
legislation, it likely will be sometime before the bill
becomes law. Poloff has urged the GOK to support the 2005
SUA Protocols, which are ready for signature in Geneva, and
while yet to receive an official response on the GOK
position, has been assured informally that Kenya views the
protocols favorably (reftel).

Comment
--------------

6. (SBU) Thuo's candid comments about the state of readiness
of Kenyan and regional maritime forces underscores the
limited effectiveness of the MRCC in responding to distress
signals and incidences of piracy. His statements on
hoped-for cooperation between the Center and international
forces based in the region is encouraging. However, the
dearth of resources Kenya is able to draw upon to address
piracy near its shores will continue to undermine any
national or regional solutions.
BELLAMY