Department of National Security of the Cabinet of the Government Presidency.

The Spanish Maritime Cluster (CME) has participated in the first meeting of the National Maritime Security Council of this XII legislature, which approved the creation of an environment of virtual collaboration, to significantly promote the compliance and improvement of maritime information protocols within the lines of action of the so-called National Maritime Security Strategy.

Madrid, 11 January 2017. The National Maritime Security Council invited to this first meeting the president of the CME, Alejandro Aznar Sainz; its president of honor, Federico Esteve Jaculot; and the first vice-president, José de Lara Rey, to discuss another of the main areas of action of this body: public-private cooperation in maritime safety, where Spanish companies complement the action of the State with their vision, experience and deep knowledge of the sector.

In particular, one of the areas in which work is under way, together with the Spanish Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE), focuses on disseminating and raising awareness of the importance of security measures in the use of technological and digital systems.

The adoption of a virtual collaborative environment is a significant step forward in meeting the objectives of the National Maritime Safety Strategy, such as improving maritime information exchange protocols to share real-time information among all actors in specific situations.

In addition, the information systems for the fusion and analysis of the maritime environment and the promotion of the participation of the Spanish public and private sectors in projects related to national maritime security in international organizations are updated.

One of the measures taken by the National Maritime Safety Council has been to promote work on the implementation of this collaborative environment, which is reflected in the technological and operational combination. In the first, the national information system for the sharing of maritime safety information (Segmar) facilitates the exchange of information by connecting to national maritime safety operational centres and interdepartmental operational cooperation.

In addition to providing speed and speed in decision-making that require cooperation, this virtual collaboration environment promotes the effectiveness and efficiency of the main maritime safety actors, as well as significant time and cost savings through technological collaborative solutions such as videoconferencing.

Initiatives and developments
Following the promulgation of the National Maritime Security Strategy in December 2013, the National Maritime Security Council, a body in support of the National Security Council, chaired by the President of the Government, has strongly promoted several initiatives for improvement in this sector of significant strategic value for Spain. The adoption of the Maritime Safety Action Plan, which was agreed by the National Security Council, chaired by the President of the Government on 23 January 2015, has been the starting point for a road map on which to plan measures to achieve the objectives set out in the five lines of action. Among the most significant achievements are the adoption of the Comprehensive Maritime Security Plan for the Strait of Gibraltar (the Seas Plan); the promulgation of a Coordination and Cooperation Agreement on Maritime Security Operations; the first development of a national information system for the sharing of maritime safety information; and the establishment of an Information and Analysis Cell for the risks and threats to maritime security.