The academic and General of the Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique (FADM), Joaquim Manjate, recommended this Tuesday (05), in Maputo, the urgent reinforcement of maritime security in Cabo Delgado.

According to the military officer, the recommendation is aimed at preventing piracy and the hijacking of cargo ships on the high seas as a result of gas exploration in the Rovuma basin, which would jeopardize the country's blue economy.

Joaquim Manjate, who was speaking at the opening of the academic year at the Higher Institute of Transport and Communications (ISUTC) on the theme "Maritime Safety - Challenges for Transport, Populations and the Environment in Mozambique", said that this should be a priority issue for Mozambique, due to the increase in marine traffic on the national coast.

In fact, he pointed out that the university, alongside other players, has a fundamental role to play in maritime safety, as it is responsible for developing technologies and methodologies that increase protection at sea, such as monitoring systems and training.

"We recommend the development of large academic and business forums to discuss strategies on the sea, because this issue needs to be debated in academic circles, since it is more oriented towards this class," he said, stressing the role of the state in guaranteeing safety in the exploitation of marine resources.

In his view, academic institutions should carry out research and studies that contribute to understanding the challenges of maritime security and to developing public policies to promote the protection of the sea.

The author of the book "Geopolitics of the Mozambique Channel - the hijacking of VEGA 5", which was launched at the same event, emphasizes the importance of making rapid progress in protecting the sea in order to safeguard national interests in the blue economy.

He cited the hijacking in 2010 of the fishing boat belonging to the Hispanic-Mozambican company Pescamar, the "Vega 5", by a group of Somali pirates, 600 miles off the coast of Inhassoro, in the province of Inhambane.

"Piracy has shown that we are fragile, because the "Vega 5" sailed for four days in Mozambican territory and we couldn't recover it. It's true that it's an old situation and involves very high salvage costs, which in a way entices, but we have to work to control the phenomenon," he said.