IMO and ITLOS at MS&D 2009

Amongst others, Russian naval commander-in-chief Admiral Wladimir Vysotzkiy has announced his arrival. The participation of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy makes the international importance of MS&D 2009 even more evident. Admiral Vysotzkiy will meet with representatives of the German Navy and utilise the exhibition and conference in Hamburg to inform himself about the latest analyses and methods pertaining to the topics security and defence of sea routes, defence and prevention of piracy and terrorist attacks.  

The conference will be officially opened by State Secretary Rüdiger Wolf from the Federal Ministry of Defence. The conference programme pertaining to the two thematic issues Security and Defence is clearly arranged in two parallel panels, framed by two plenary sessions. Vice Admiral (Ret.) Lutz Feldt, Chief of Staff German Navy until 2006 and current President of the German Naval Institute (DMI), is chairman for the entire conference, and especially the SECURITY panel. Chairman of the DEFENCE panel is Rear Admiral (Ret.) Ulrich Otto. Admiral Feldt, whose panel will portray the dangers for international shipping through pirates as one main topic, intends to emphasise "the dialogue between those who must act from an operative-tactical viewpoint and those who provide the capabilities for them as a central future requirement". Feldt sees the current international cooperation of navies in the Horn of Africa region as a unique opportunity for the future of crisis operations. Moreover, it is important that the communication between the shipping lines and ship owners and the navies improves.

Undoubtedly included among the highlights are contributions from the executive levels of numerous navies. For instance, Rear Admiral Heinrich Lange, acting on behalf of the Inspector of the German Navy, will provide a general overview of the worldwide security situation as keynote speaker. Rear Admiral (UH) Salvatore Ruzittu from the Italian Navy will speak about the situation in the Mediterranean region, in which the stream of illegal immigrants from Africa also has an influence. Rear Admiral Frank Craig Pandolfe, Commander, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2, US Navy, will report about the deployment of the US Navy in the world's current crisis areas. Rear Admiral Jose Antonio Ruesta from the Spanish Navy will portray the role of navies for maritime security.

Commodore Konstantionos Mazarakis-Ainian from the Hellenic Navy will describe the tasks of the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC) on Crete within the scope of combating piracy and general security of sea routes. Commodore Per Bigum Christensen from the Royal Danish Navy will focus on the operations of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 and its effects in combating terrorists, and Rear Admiral Hank Ort from NATO Maritime Component Command (MCC) Northwood will speak about NATO anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast. Rear Admiral (LH) Veli-Jukka Pennala, Deputy Chief of the Finnish Navy, will present the new Sea Surveillance Cooperation Baltic Sea (SUCBAS) project, which was founded in March of this year in Helsinki in order to improve the exchange of information and the cooperation in the Baltic Sea.

Rear Admiral Rainer Brinkmann, Director Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters (COE CSW), the German Navy competence centre which cooperates closely with NATO, will examine the operative circumstances of mine warfare in the defence sphere of the MS&D conference. A series of high representatives of other navies are also on the list of speakers for both panels. For instance, Rear Admiral Stephane Verwaerde from the French Navy, Captain W. Entwisle, UK Royal Navy, Rear Admiral George Basson, Director Maritime Warfare of the South African Navy will provide various reports, and Rear Admiral K.G. Hussain from the Pakistan Navy will describe Pakistan's contribution to anti-piracy and anti-terrorist operations in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters. Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, will report about India's activities in this connection.

The MS&D 2009 will also present a broad spectrum of defensive mechanisms and instruments such as so-called "acoustic cannons", helicopters, underwater devices, etc.