Nairobi — Countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are seeking to strengthen maritime security cooperation as threats including piracy, human trafficking and disruptions to commercial shipping continue to grow.

Maritime security officials from Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti met in Nairobi this week for a two-day meeting focused on addressing emerging threats in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, among the world's most important shipping routes.

The meeting, facilitated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with support from the European Union, INTERPOL, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), focused on strengthening regional cooperation and information sharing.

Officials agreed that the security challenges facing the region could not be effectively addressed by any single country and stressed the need for closer coordination among maritime security and law enforcement agencies.

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They also discussed improving the sharing of intelligence on suspicious and potentially dangerous activities to help authorities identify and prevent threats before they affect commercial vessels and international trade.

The meeting comes as security tensions in parts of the Middle East have disrupted commercial shipping and raised concerns over the safety of vessels navigating the Red Sea.

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden connect the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal, making security in the region crucial to global trade and supply chains.