The Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) has announced the completion of Operation “Bahari Moja”. The multinational maritime security operation ran from 03 February to 08 March 2026.
The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Architecture (RMSA). It formed part of the Safe Sea Africa programme supported by the European Union.
Kenya led the operation in partnership with Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar.
According to the RCOC, the operation reflected the region’s shared commitment. It aimed to safeguard the Western Indian Ocean against transnational organised criminal networks.
Participating forces conducted the operation across four operational zones. Patrols targeted narcotics trafficking, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, piracy and illicit transshipment.
In the Kenya–Seychelles zone, a Kenya Navy vessel operated jointly with a Seychelles Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The units conducted patrols to counter narcotics trafficking, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, and piracy.
The vessel later conducted a port visit to Port Victoria, which the RCOC said reinforced naval diplomacy and bilateral cooperation.
The patrol then continued into the Seychelles–Mauritius zone, where the Kenya Navy ship operated alongside a Mauritius National Coast Guard vessel and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The operation received support from shared track management through the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre in Madagascar.
Further south, Kenya collaborated with the Madagascar Navy’s National Maritime Information Fusion Centre in the Mauritius–Madagascar information-fusion zone. The cooperation integrated national and regional data streams supported by the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre.
The final operational area covered a high-seas border zone at the convergence of the maritime boundaries of Kenya, Comoros and Seychelles. Patrols in this zone focused on Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, narcotics trafficking, irregular migration and illicit transshipment.
The RCOC said the operation built on recent regional successes.
“The October 2025 interdiction of one tonne of methamphetamine by the Kenya Navy with support from the Seychelles Defence Forces,” the RCOC said, “highlighted the scale of illicit maritime activity in the region.”
RCOC and the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre commended participating nations for their cooperation.
“RCOC and RMIFC commend all participating nations for their professionalism, cooperation, and unwavering resolve in defending the region against transnational organized criminal networks,” the statement said.