Abstract
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Maritime security is essential to supporting the Blue Economy. Many
maritime security forums have been key supporters of the Blue
Economy concept, particularly in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
This paper will explore the co-evolution and co-dependence of
Blue Economy and maritime security agendas, with a particular
focus on the IOR. It identifies two primary interactions between
Blue Economy and maritime security interests. Firstly, maritime
security is an enabler of the Blue Economy, for example, through
safeguarding navigation routes, providing important oceanographic
data to marine industries and protecting rights over valuable
marine resources and activities within claimed zones of maritime
jurisdiction. Secondly, an often overlooked role that maritime
security plays in the Blue Economy is by being itself a source of
economic development and growth. An expanded Blue Economy
will create greater demand for maritime security capabilities, and
this, in turn, will trigger increased investment and growth in these
capabilities. The enhanced and increasingly diverse role that
maritime security will continue to play in the Blue Economy can
be seen across all sectors in the IOR.