India's Information Fusion Centre to coordinate Quad initiative to counter 'dark shipping' in the Indo-Pacific
On Tuesday, the four-member Quadrilateral Security Dialogue launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). The new initiative will allow tracking of “dark shipping”—illegal fishing and unregulated fishing. In a statement, the White House said: "This initiative will transform the ability of partners in the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean region to fully monitor the waters on their shores and, in turn, to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific. Quad countries are committed to contributing to the region’s maritime domain awareness—a fundamental requirement for peace, stability, and prosperity—through an investment in IPMDA over five years". Under the initiative, three regions—the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean region—of the Indo-Pacific will be integrated for an almost real-time and cost-effective maritime domain awareness. The India-based Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region will coordinate with si