Kenya and Denmark have had a close partnership on maritime security since 2009.
The backdrop to this partnership was the upsurge of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and since then, Kenya has come a long way in protecting its waters by collaborating with a number of international partners.
As a result of these efforts, Kenya was last month removed from the red list of “High Risk Waters”.
This will translate into lower insurance rates for shipping companies and lower maritime costs, which in the medium term will lead to a more competitive blue economy for Kenya.
The next step is to expand this partnership into the civil maritime area. As the world marked World Maritime Day on September 30, Kenya and Denmark are proud to announce a new civil collaboration on maritime training and education.
We are both great maritime nations and share many priorities and interests in this sector such as maritime safety, reduction of maritime pollution and protection of the marine environment.
Denmark has previously supported training at the Kenya Navy Training College by providing a state-of-the-art simulator for nautical training. We wish to build on this initial support by working towards sustainable blue growth and building conducive framework for our maritime sectors.
This framework will be in line with the sustainable development goals, Kenya’s Big Four agenda and Vision 2030.
The World Maritime Day, an annual celebration founded by the United Nations International Maritime Organisation celebrates the maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s overall economy.
This year's theme is “Seafarers: At the Core of Shipping’s Future”, which will be a key part of our future partnership. Kenya and Denmark are among the countries which since July 2020 has opened their borders to seafarers for crew changes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We did so to allow stranded seafarers to return home after being aboard ships in the high-seas for many months. This is evidence that our nations acknowledge the importance of seafarers, who kept global trade flowing during the pandemic.
Both countries also prioritise quality education and training for our seafarers, as we believe ppropriately trained and qualified seafarers are key to securing global trade.
The collaboration between Kenya and Denmark has been instrumental to enhancing the skills of our seafarers. Kenya has 230,000 square kilometres of territorial waters and a distance of 200 nautical miles offshore and additional 10,700 square kilometres of inland waters.
Kenya’s blue economy thus holds a huge potential in terms of creating jobs and opportunities for Kenyans. Roughly 90 per cent of international trade to and from Kenya is carried by sea and handled in Port of Mombasa, which is the largest port in East Africa and a gateway to the region.
With the addition of Lamu Port, there is a potential to increase Kenya’s regional (maritime) importance and increase the blue economy potential. Doing this in a way that promotes the implementation of the SDGs as well as a sustainable and inclusive exploitation of the maritime domain is key.
The efforts by the government of Kenya geared at expanding the Port of Mombasa and to establishing a national fishing fleet and fishing ports, demonstrate its commitment to the development of the maritime sector.
Kenya wants to increase the capacity of its fishers and seafarers with a strong focus on opportunities for the Kenyan youth. Denmark is known as the sixth largest shipping nation in the world and the Danish maritime industry delivers state-of-the-art technological solutions to the global shipping fleet in the form of modern engines, ship paint and propellers.
In 2019, the Danish maritime sector exported goods and services worth of roughly $50 billion representing 26.5 per cent of total Danish export. With the core competencies and strengths of the Danish maritime sector, we aim to share expertise and knowledge and develop capacities further in close collaboration with Kenya.
Our joint hope is to enhance effective trade flows, improve the enabling environment for maritime actors in Kenya, and to protect the marine environment. This will facilitate attainment of the SDGs focusing on life below water, climate action, and quality education.
We believe that as a global industry, shipping can operate more efficiently and effectively when standards are agreed upon at global level, adopted and implemented at international level.
Increased international collaboration and more partnerships will help move this forward. Kenya and Denmark are committed to limiting the operating space for sub-standard vessels. This will result in cleaner air and water, to the benefit of marine life and coastal areas and the people dependent on these for their livelihood.
Kenya and Denmark look forward to continuing these efforts in our maritime partnership.
James Macharia is Transport CS, while Ole Thonke is the Ambassador of Denmark to Kenya
