Do you know what “sea blindness” means? It describes the widespread lack of awareness and concern about what happens on and beneath our waters — and the unwillingness or inability to monitor it properly. Seychelles is seen as a “large ocean state” because it oversees a vast Exclusive Economic Zone in the Western Indian Ocean. Yet many policymakers, NGOs, youth and citizens who speak passionately about the “Blue Economy” and about ocean conservation have never been able to set foot on our distant islands or to travel deep into this immense ocean space. Few truly grasp the scale of this space, its remoteness, or the activities unfolding within it and in the wider Western Indian Ocean.
Today, the Western Indian Ocean is entering a new era of “blue crime,” and Seychelles is right there in the middle of its sphere of influence. But because of our sea blindness, the urgency of this threat has yet to register with most people. Piracy off Somalia is resurging as of 2025, with pirate action groups again using hijacked dhows and fishing vessels as motherships to attack ships far offshore. At the same time, heroin and synthetic drugs stream along the so-called Southern Route from Afghanistan across the Indian Ocean, making Seychelles both a transit point and, tragically, one of the world’s worst heroin hotspots. Industrial-scale illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the smuggling of contraband by sea, other trafficking flows, including human trafficking, further blur the line between fisheries crime, environmental crime, organised crime (OC), terrorism, and other security threats.
For Seychelles, this is existential. An archipelago of 115 islands with an EEZ of about 1.37 million km², its economy, food security and identity are built on the ocean, with tourism and fisheries as the twin pillars of GDP. If the sea lanes and fishing grounds are unsafe, our Blue Economy falters. If we cannot reach our far-flung islands such as Aldabra swiftly and reliably when incidents or accidents occur, we risk turning manageable situations into terrible tragedies.
Seychelles has not been passive. It built a capable Coast Guard, became a frontline state against Somali piracy and now hosts the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC). Joint operations with the EU’s Operation Atalanta and partners such as India have targeted traffickers and illegal fishers in the EEZ, demonstrating the country’s potential role as a regional security hub. Politically, Seychelles has repeatedly called for stronger collective action against IUU fishing, drugs and other illicit maritime activities.
Yet far more is needed. As a “large ocean state”, Seychelles must grow its own capacity to monitor and protect its EEZ and all the islands within. For us to do that more effectively, we must envisage the outermost islands as forward operating locations for radar, drones, rapid-response detachments, and more – extending the state’s presence deep into its own EEZ. And because many countries in the region seem to be “sea blind” and remain reluctant, under-resourced or politically hesitant to contribute meaningfully to securing the Western Indian Ocean, Seychelles must increasingly step up out of necessity. With smarter use of technology, tighter regional information-sharing and, importantly, sustained investment in its own maritime security infrastructure, Seychelles can both protect its blue lifeline and continue to lead the Western Indian Ocean towards a safer, more secure sea. Let’s cure ourselves of our “sea blindness” once and for all.
Dr. Nirmal Shah