Jakarta, Indonesia
18-19 November 2025
Maritime trade remains the backbone of the global economy—but it is also a critical channel for sanctions evasion. From covert ship-to-ship transfers to deceptive flagging and vessel identity concealment, illicit actors exploit the complexity of global shipping to move prohibited goods and finance restricted activities.
This workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is designed for government officials, regulators, and maritime enforcement agencies seeking to sharpen their understanding of the sanctions landscape and enhance operational responses. Participants will gain practical insights into:
- The strategic role of sanctions in international security
- Common evasion techniques and emerging trends
- Tools, intelligence sources, and interagency cooperation mechanisms to strengthen monitoring and enforcement
- Case studies highlighting lessons learned from sanctions enforcement to date
Workshop sessions will be centered around a tabletop exercise aimed at identifying gaps in enforcement protocols, standard operating procedures, and inter-agency coordination and communication, supplemented by taught and interactive sessions. As such, the workshop will equip enforcement professionals with the strategies and resources needed to safeguard maritime domains against illicit activities.
The workshop is aimed at the following audiences: working level officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Transportation, Indonesian Maritime Security Agency, port authorities, customs officials, sea and coast guard, and other relevant maritime enforcement authorities.
Travel support will be provided to officials travelling from posts outside of Jakarta.
Agenda
| DAY 1 – TABLETOP EXERCISE | |
|---|---|
| 10:00-10:15 | Opening Addresses and Introductions |
| 10:15-11:15 | Enforcing Sanctions: Role of Key Stakeholders This session will provide an overview of applicable maritime sanctions and how they impact key stakeholders – from customs and port authorities to coast guard, navy, and other agencies in charge of maritime and sanctions matters. |
| 11:15-11:30 | Tabletop Exercise: Introduction and Ground Rules |
| 11:30-12:15 | Scenario I |
| 12:15-13:15 | Lunch |
| 13:15-14:15 | Scenario II |
| 14:15-14:30 | Coffee Break |
| 14:30-15:30 | Scenario III |
| 15:30-16:30 | Hotwash |
| DAY 2 | |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Tabletop Exercise: Summary and Lessons Learned |
| 09:30 – 10:30 | Maritime Sanctions Evasion Tactics This session will examine the specific strategies and tactics used to evade maritime sanctions. Using case studies, it will equip participants with the knowledge and tools to spot and investigate sanctions evasion activity in their day-to-day work. |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Emerging Techniques in Sanctions Evasion: False and Fraudulent Flag Use Fraudulent flag use covers a broad spectrum: from vessels continuing to broadcast the flag after deregistration or claiming registration where there is none, to AIS spoofing and fraudulent documents issues by fraudulent entities. How can these instances be identified? |
| 11:15 – 12:00 | Sanctions Evasion: Investigative Tools and Techniques This session will cover “red flags” exhibited by vessels involved in sanctions evasion activities and the investigative tools that can be used to uncover them |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 – 13:45 | Silent Brainstorming: Interagency Coordination, SOPs, and Other Implementation Tools This session provides an opportunity for participants to identify tools they wish they had at their disposal to enable effective sanctions enforcement |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Coffee Break |
| 14:00-16:00 | Standard Operating Procedures: Group Discussion and Drafting In this session, participants will consider a series of maritime sanctions enforcement scenarios and identify the agencies involved, their roles, the legal authorities available to them, and the processes necessary to effectively implement them. Participants will then draft the building blocks of SOPs relevant for their respective agencies. |
| 16:00-16:30 | Avenues for Cooperation The session will explore best practices in interagency cooperation, as well as avenues available for information-sharing internationally. |
| 16:30-17:00 | Workshop Evaluations, Conclusions |
