Discuss the role of South–South maritime cooperation in promoting a rules-based order at sea.

South–South maritime cooperation means naval and ocean-policy partnership among developing countries. It gives the Global South a say in sea rules that major powers have largely shaped. IBSAMAR is the naval arm of the IBSA Dialogue Forum, which was formalised at Brasilia in 2003 [1]. It explicitly backs "safe, secure and open seas underpinned by a rules-based order" [2].

Role in promoting a rules-based order

• Lawful enforcement capacity: VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) drills train navies to stop piracy and trafficking within legal limits [3].
• Interoperability: "repeated interactions, common training" let the three navies respond jointly to shared threats [2].
• Norm-building beyond drills: the 2024 harbour phase included an Ocean Governance seminar, adding policy dialogue to warfighting [3].
• Safety of life at sea: under an India–South Africa submarine rescue agreement, India will deploy its rescue vehicle to help South African submarines in distress [4].
• Strategic reach: exercising at Simon's Town, near the Cape where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, carries SAGAR/MAHASAGAR outreach beyond the Indian Ocean Region [2].
• Plural, democratic voice: unlike BRICS, IBSA leaves out China and Russia. The IBSA Fund has allocated over US$53.27 million to 46 projects in 34 partner countries [5]. This shows that South–South solidarity produces real results.

Limitations

• Irregular schedule: after IBSAMAR VI in 2018 [6], the next edition came only in 2022 [7]. A four-year gap weakens interoperability.
• Narrow geography: most editions are held off South Africa, and India hosted off Goa in 2016 [6]. Brazil's South Atlantic sees little practice.
• Political drift: no IBSA leaders' summit has been held since Pretoria in 2011 [5]. Without it, no shared maritime agenda is being set.
• Limited scale: India sends a single frigate, which shows the flag but cannot practise fleet-level operations.

South–South maritime cooperation thus gives developing countries a hand in upholding ocean rules, though its potential is under-used. The three countries should rotate venues to include Brazil, fix a regular biennial schedule, and revive IBSA summits to adopt a shared agenda on piracy and illegal fishing. This would make the Global South a co-author of a rules-based maritime order, in line with SDG 14 (Life Below Water).