Maritime threats in the Western Indian Ocean cost the region roughly $1.14 billion per year, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The losses amount to 5.7% of the region’s gross marine product, a significant economic loss for activities linked to oceans, seas and coastal zones, collectively referred to as the blue economy, and an essential part of the region’s economic base.
The report, published Dec. 9, identifies five major drivers of the loss, including illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which accounts for $246.3 million in annual losses from depleted stocks, undeclared revenues and habitat degradation.
A second driver, piracy and armed robbery, is far less common now than in the early 2010s, but still requires protective measures that cost an estimated $164 million in 2021. Illicit trafficking, including of drugs, weapons and wildlife, accounts for another $330 million in annual economic losses and societal costs, the report says.
Maritime migration of people heading to other countries costs roughly $300 million for expenses related to rescue operations, humanitarian interventions and loss of life, while oil spills and chemical pollution, the fifth threat identified in the report, cost another $100 million annually.
The report cites the case of the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius in 2020 and spilled around 1,000 metric tons of fuel into the ocean. The immediate cleanup cost $50 million and the long-term restoration cost several times that much.
This combination of economic, environmental and security threats puts immense pressure on the region’s “ocean assets,” which have a total value of $333.8 billion, the report notes. Maritime activities including fishing, shipping and associated industries generate at least $20 billion in annual revenue. Those industries are essential for the livelihood and food security of coastal communities; fishing alone employs millions of people, while “for many Eastern African economies, more than half of trade value transits the [Western Indian Ocean’s] routes,” the report notes.
To address these challenges, the report recommends a series of actions: integrating maritime security into all blue economy policies; establishing a sustainable financing mechanism that combines government contributions with revenue generated from marine resources; and enhancing regional maritime surveillance with improved data sharing.
The report also calls for coordinated maritime patrols and stronger regional institutions such as the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC), based in Madagascar, and the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), in Seychelles.
Finally, the report recommends tightening measures against illegal fishing through strengthened legislation, more transparent vessel registration, and the creation of a permanent regional task force to combat illegal activities. It urges the region to build stronger collective capacity to respond to environmental crises and violations of territorial waters.
Banner image: Reef fish in a marine protected area at Mnemba Island, Zanzibar. Image by Jorge Láscar via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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