The Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) has launched Operation Nightwatch, a robust maritime enforcement initiative that sets a new standard for addressing non-reporting “dark” vessels within the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Collaborating with Starboard Maritime Intelligence and Vantor, MIMRA has developed a streamlined enforcement model that significantly reduces the time from vessel detection to enforcement action, achieving this in mere hours rather than days.
This operation is crucial for safeguarding the Marshall Islands’ extensive EEZ, which spans over two million square kilometers. The region faces threats from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which jeopardizes national revenue and marine ecosystems. Operation Nightwatch strategically directs patrol assets to high-risk areas, enhancing the effectiveness of enforcement efforts against vessels attempting to evade detection.
At the heart of the operation is an innovative tip-and-cue model that integrates satellite imagery, vessel tracking data, and patrol assets into a cohesive workflow. This approach has successfully reduced the average time for airborne verification to four hours and identified multiple high-priority targets for swift action, illustrating the potential for intelligence-led enforcement in vast ocean territories.
The collaboration with Starboard and Vantor has been pivotal, leveraging advanced satellite tasking and monitoring systems to ensure actionable intelligence. As a scalable template for future operations, Operation Nightwatch not only reinforces enforcement capabilities but also builds capacity among partners, providing a repeatable framework for maritime security in large-ocean states.
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