What happens when everyone can see a maritime crisis developing, but no single actor possesses all the information, authority or capabilities needed to resolve it? That was the problem confronting participants in a maritime tabletop exercise facilitated by C MARC experts with the Raisina Forum Fellows in New Delhi on 6 October. Over three and a half hours, 39 participants, all mid-careerdiplomats, were divided among three fictional coastal states facing an escalating crisis in the equally fictional
Aurelia Sea. What began as a distress call from the MV Horizon Star, a ferry suffering an engine-room fire and loss of propulsion, progressively became something much more complicated. The vessel was drifting. Information about the number of people aboard was uncertain. Different states possessed different pieces of the operating picture. Commercial and government vessels were available to assist, but their roles had to be coordinated.
Then the situation deteriorated. Passengers abandoned ship. The number of people rescued did not reconcile with the vessel’s manifest. Survivors required medical treatment and a place of safety. Questions emerged over nationality, consular access and responsibility for those rescued. Meanwhile, a short video circulating on social media appeared to show tension between responding government vessels. Questions emerged over the casualty vessel’s certification. And, as worsening weather threatened the remaining search, another state offered additional aircraft — raising questions not simply of capability, but of access, authority and permission. No single participant or country could solve these problems alone.
The TTX demonstrated that awareness does not equate toThe TTX demonstrated that awareness does not equate to response and more information is likely to make decisions more, not less, complex. Participants quickly recognized the need for emergency coordination arrangements between the affected states. But establishing a coordination group proved easier than making coordination work.
The C MARC Team consisting of Eric Ang, Scott Edwards, Chiew-Ping Hoo, Robert Mizo and Alexandru Cristian Hudișteanu.
