SatCen Joins EFCA's 20th Anniversary Celebration in Vigo

On 24 April 2025, a SatCen delegation joined the 20th Anniversary celebration of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) in the Port of Vigo—an event that highlighted the growing importance of inter-agency cooperation in the domain of maritime surveillance. As part of the programme, SatCen representatives visited the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Ocean Guardian, where a bilateral meeting between the Directors of SatCen and EFCA took place and future cooperation between the two agencies was discussed. Cooperation between SatCen and EFCA dates back to 2017, with joint initiatives focused on detecting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, including a pilot project on monitoring Bluefin Tuna Farming Facilities. As reported by European Commission, “IUU fishing depletes fish stocks, distorts competition, puts honest fishers at disadvantage, and weakens coastal communities, particularly in developing countries”. It has been a catalyst for piracy and a degraded security situation in the Horn of Africa, where the EU has two military operations contributing to maritime security: EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and EUNAVFOR ASPIDES. The EU Maritime Security Strategy and its Action Plan, approved by the Council in 2023, has hence set objectives to “strengthen the [Union’s] capacity to contribute to the fight against organised and serious international threats and illicit activities to increase the EU’s internal security”, including the fight against IUU and to enable...