The Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) near New Delhi in India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on shipping with the Maritime Security Center (MSC) in Muscat, Oman, local reports have said.
The MoU will greatly benefit merchant shipping through the Gulf, said the local reports.
The deal is expected to lead to an information exchange between IFC-IOR and MSC.
The Ministry of Defense in India has said in a statement that the MoU would “contribute to enhanced maritime safety and security in the region.”
The exchange is expected to cover white shipping information. In shipping terminology, white shipping information is about the exchange of advance information on the identity and movement of commercial, non-military merchant ships.
India set up the IFC-IOR three years ago as part a high-technology approach to detect and deter maritime security threats in the Indian Ocean region, including the Gulf, said the local reports.
The MSC was commissioned in 2013. Among its objectives are fighting organized crime at sea, including illegal trading, piracy, mitigating sea environment pollution and protecting fisheries.
