8 October 2024
A contingent of maritime trade operations (MTO) personnel from Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines navies were busy supporting the recent Exercise Kakadu 2024.
Officer in Charge of the maritime trade operations element for Exercise Kakadu, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Commander Bruce Christensen, said everyone in his team had a good deal of maritime shipping industry and military experience.
“Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines are also all island nations reliant on international trade from the sea, so our team are acutely aware of the importance of free and open sea lanes and maritime trade protection,” Commander Christensen said.
“A key function that we provide is deconfliction between military and civilian operations. Our people have the experience and knowledge to effectively brief command on the potential impacts of commercial activities on military operations and vice versa.”
Lieutenant Suraj Joshi is a good example of the value maritime trade operations personnel can add to naval exercises and operations.
A reserve officer in the RAN, his full-time civilian role is the Deputy Harbour Master for Fremantle Ports. He has more than 22 years of maritime industry experience, including as the captain of civilian ships.
“I always wanted to join the RAN. My father served in the Indian Coast Guard and I felt like I had a lot to offer the Navy given my professional background,” Lieutenant Joshi said.
“I applied to be an MTO in the RAN the day after my Australian citizenship was confirmed.”
Lieutenant Joshi spent the day with a Royal New Zealand Navy maritime trade operations officer, Sub-Lieutenant Pete Campbell, briefing the captains of the civilian ships currently in Darwin Harbour.
“Darwin is a busy port, with over 300 movements every month and commercial activities do not halt to accommodate the exercise. Therefore, strong communication is important to ensure our exercise doesn’t impact commercial activities,” Sub-Lieutenant Campbell said.
