Last week, more than 100 senior officials and maritime stakeholders from over 50 countries across the Indo-Pacific gathered in Cebu for a landmark event focused on enhancing maritime security and cooperation through IORIS.
Over three days of intensive dialogue, live demonstrations, and collaborative planning, participants worked to strengthen themultinational governance of the IORIS platform and explore new policy directions to further interagency and international coordination.
Real-world impact of IORIS on display
Delegates from various organisations shared success stories that highlighted IORIS’ real-world effectiveness — from narcotics interdictions, life-saving SAR operations, and counter-piracy actions, to its role in combatting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. These examples reaffirmed IORIS as a cornerstone tool for building regional maritime resilience and operational unity.
The event also officially marked the launch of IORIS Version 4 — a major platform upgrade featuring a completely redesigned interface, cloud-based architecture, and enhanced user experience that make interagency communication and crisis coordination even more intuitive and efficient.
Key voices from the Indo-Pacific and the European Union
In his opening remarks, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro highlighted the strategic importance of regional cooperation:
“This collaboration underscores the European Union’s enduring commitment to a peaceful, secure, and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific, built on a foundation of the rule of law and respect for the UN Charter. We are proud to support regional partners in building capabilities that ensure freedom of navigation and maritime resilience.”
Martin Cauchi Inglott, Director of the CRIMARIO II project, emphasized the increasing operational scope of IORIS, especially in high-risk maritime regions:
“A key area of discussion was enhancing connectivity between merchant shipping, naval forces, and coastal states. This was clearly demonstrated by the platform’s success in the Red Sea, where IORIS enabled coordinated communication for over 130 vessels during a critical period. For the first time, the maritime industry participated as observers — a vital step in bridging government and industry in a unified maritime security architecture.”
ALALAYAN III: a showcase of coordination in action
On the final day, attendees witnessed ALALAYAN III, a major maritime interoperability exercise led by the Philippine National Maritime Centre and involving over 20 national agencies. Using IORIS as the central coordination tool, the exercise simulated a range of maritime threats, testing national agencies’ ability to collaborate across jurisdictions in real-time.
VAdm Roy A. Echeverria, Director of the National Maritime Centre, reflected on the significance of the exercise:
“Over the next days, we saw what happens when agencies come together — not just to comply with protocols, but to truly collaborate, listen, adapt, and work side by side. This year’s exercise reinforces a shared truth: no single agency or country can address maritime challenges alone. Our strength lies in our unity — in our commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach, and in our partnerships, both local and international.”
Looking ahead
As the event concluded, participants celebrated not only the successful launch of IORIS Version 4 but also the growing trust, collaboration, and capability across the Indo-Pacific maritime community.
Ondrej Vosatka, Programme Manager at the Foreign Policy Instrument of the European Commission, summed up the broader significance:
“We celebrate not just the success of this event, but the lasting partnerships and trust we’ve built across the Indo-Pacific over the years. The tools, knowledge, and networks developed here will continue to support regional maritime security and safety well into the future.”
IORIS V4 is now operational — and with it, the region is better connected, better coordinated, and better prepared to meet the maritime challenges of today and tomorrow.
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