Welcome to the 4th IORIS Steering Committee Meeting! 🇰🇪 🇪🇺 📍 Mombasa, Kenya | 9–11 June 2026 #KCGS #Maritime #EUCRIMARIO

The conference isn't over till it's over! For KCGS, that's only when the last delegate leaves with a smile. Our hospitality and protocol officers stationed at MIA and JKIA, working alongside their colleagues from NPS, JKIA, and Immigration, are on hand to ensure all delegates are well facilitated and accorded due courtesies. This evening, our protocol team at Moi International Airport, Mombasa, is pictured with the delegation from Thailand led by Admiral Pongsak Somboon, Deputy Secretary General of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center, and Captain Kasem Niamchay, Head of Delegation, Royal Thai Navy, as they made their way back home following a successful #IORIS2026 Summit.

The world's oceans carry 90% of global trade, yet they remain among the world's most contested and vulnerable spaces. It is against this backdrop that Mombasa, Kenya co-hosted the 4th IORIS Steering Committee High-Level Meeting from 9 to 11 June 2026 a strategic convening of government officials, Admirals, Generals, and maritime security experts from over 80 organisations across 40 countries spanning East Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, and both coasts of Latin America, united by one imperative: maritime security is a global public good, and its defence demands collective action. IORIS is that collective action made operational a secure, real-time platform that converts fragmented national awareness into a unified maritime picture, keeping sea lanes open, pirates at bay, narcotics off the water, and global commerce moving. Over three days, the Meeting advanced cooperation on shipping security, counter-narcotics, port safety, search and rescue, IUU fishing, and sanctioned vessel monitoring. New IORIS Partnership Agreements were signed by organisations from nine countries, deepening the global coalition for safer seas. A framework to support live operations through IORIS was endorsed. AI integration into maritime operations was formally tabled. Awards recognised the Most Proficient IORIS Organisations globally and by region. And Thailand was nominated incoming ISC Co-Chair and co-host of the 5th IORIS Steering Committee High-Level Meeting. Beyond the conference rooms, delegates toured Fort Jesus, guardian of the Indian Ocean coast since 1593, explored Haller Park, and planted trees: an enduring mark of the friendships and commitments forged in Mombasa. As the summit concludes, Kenya Coast Guard Service reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding Kenya's maritime interests and advancing regional and global maritime security cooperation. Positioned at the strategic gateway where Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe converge, we are not bystanders; we are active architects of the safer, more secure ocean order that IORIS represents. The summit is closed. The watch continues. Asanteni sana.

The stewardship of the IORIS Steering Committee does not reside in any one nation; it rotates, by design, among the maritime nations that have committed to its mission. On 11 June 2026, during the closing day of the 4th IORIS Steering Committee High-Level Meeting in Mombasa, that principle was given formal expression: VAdm Allen Dalangin, PHL NMC Director, officially handed over the ISC Co-Chair to Director General Bruno Isohi Shioso of the Kenya Coast Guard Service, a ceremonial and institutional moment. The Philippines have been exemplary stewards of the IORIS Co-Chair. Kenya Coast Guard Service is honored to have received that trust, and prouder still to have delivered a successful 4th ISC High-Level Meeting in Mombasa as testament to it.

On the margins of the 4th IORIS Steering Committee High-Level Meeting, DG KCGS hosted a bilateral engagement with Rear Admiral Md Ziaul Hoque, Director General of the Bangladesh Coast Guard. Rear Admiral Hoque expressed warm appreciation for the hospitality and exceptional hosting extended by KCGS throughout the summit. The two leaders held discussions exploring areas of future cooperation between their respective services, reflecting the shared commitment of both nations to maritime security and regional collaboration across the Indian Ocean domain. In a gesture of friendship and goodwill, the two leaders exchanged gifts, a fitting expression of the esprit de corps and mutual respect between the Kenya Coast Guard Service and the Bangladesh Coast Guard, and of the spirit of partnership the IORIS platform continues to foster among Indian Ocean nations.

On the sidelines of the 4th IORIS High-Level Meeting in Mombasa, a quiet moment stole the spotlight. Director General Bruno Shioso of the Kenya Coast Guard Service and EU CRIMARIO Director Martin Cauchi Inglott exchanged caps — a gesture as simple as it was telling. Two leaders. Two institutions. One shared mission. The exchange captured, in a single image, what the IORIS partnership is truly about not just memoranda of understanding and operational frameworks, but genuine camaraderie forged through years of working shoulder to shoulder to secure the Indian Ocean maritime domain. It was a reminder that the most enduring collaborations are built not only in conference rooms, but in the quiet moments of mutual respect that happen between them.

Morning breakout sessions are underway in Mombasa. Discussions focused on operations, policy issues, and enhancing regional cooperation through #IORIS. Syndicate outcomes were presented for ISC endorsement, demonstrating regional maritime collaboration in action. #4thISCmeeting #EU

Press Release: 4th IORIS Steering Committee High-Level Meeting in Mombasa. #IORIS #EUCRIMARIO #Mombasa

🇰🇪Kenya is a strategic gateway to W. Indian Ocean, connecting Africa, Middle East, Asia & Europe. The 🇪🇺& @OfficialKCGS, co-organised a high-level conference in Mombasa - on strengthening maritime cooperation & advancing the operational use of the coordination platform #IORIS