Spanish maritime security governance in the Indian Ocean Region
Abstract International maritime security issues are high on the agenda of many states and international organisations. Assaults in international waters on vessels flying the Spanish flag raised the awareness of piracy and other illicit acts at sea. Spain applies a twofold strategy in order to fight against piracy off the Somali coast and in the Indian Ocean: it takes part in the first maritime operation of the European Union (EU) EU NAVFOR Atalanta, and facilitates the deployment of private security companies (PSCs) on board civilian vessels sailing in international waters. Based on the security governance concept, this paper examines and compares the strategies regarding actors, the decision making processes, legal issues and effectiveness. The article argues that the main reason for the change in security policy is that the actors involved assume a security governance approach to be more effective in solving a specific security problem.