AMSSA & ALIEN

The AMSSA ALIEN Project is designed to strengthen Africa’s ability to protect its maritime space, fisheries, and coastal economies from the growing threat of illegal, unreported, and unlicensed fishing. By building an integrated law-enforcement network across the continent, the programme supports African states to move from fragmented responses to coordinated maritime intelligence, helping authorities identify suspicious vessels and act with greater speed, confidence, and cooperation.

At the heart of ALIEN is a shared technical system intended to be available to African navies, coastguards, maritime administrations, and law-enforcement agencies at no cost, enabling them to identify IUU fishing vessels and access reliable cross-border data. The platform is designed to consolidate information on vessels that have been observed, boarded, detained, or prosecuted in other jurisdictions, creating a more robust intelligence picture and strengthening the evidence base needed to support enforcement and prosecution processes.

Beyond surveillance, the ALIEN Project represents a wider commitment to ocean governance, food security, and maritime justice across Africa. By helping member states detect repeat offenders, improve information exchange, and protect marine resources more effectively, the programme aims to support lawful blue-economy growth while defending the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on healthy and well-managed fisheries. fields.