Somalia strengthens Maritime Domain Awareness through SOM REGEX exercise

The successful facilitation of SOM REGEX was only possible through the excellent cooperation with other international actors, namely the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mombasa (Kenya), the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (Madagascar), the National Information Sharing Coordination Centre / Seychelles Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the Seychelles Coast Guard, and the Seychelles Air Force.

The exercise enhanced inter-agency coordination, improved the use of IORIS standard operating procedures, and strengthened Somalia’s operational integration in maritime domain awareness. SOM REGEX also included a drill exercise, involving an aircraft ditching at sea. This drill took place during the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) Heads of Level Meeting, with EUCAP Somalia providing operational support during both the exercise and the DCoC meeting.

The Somali MRCC, recently trained by the Mission, proactively demonstrated its Search and Rescue (SAR) coordination capabilities during six national exercise (NATEX) scenarios, contributing to progress toward a future National Maritime Operations Centre. SAR experts from EUCAP provided an independent assessment, reinforcing alignment with regional SAR standards led by the International Maritime Organisation-designated Regional MRCC in Kenya. This achievement marks an important step forward for maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean.