A public consultation on Ireland's first National Maritime Security Strategy is due to be launched by Tánaiste Simon Harris.
It will inform the approach to maritime security over the next five years, with a particular focus on dealing with emerging threats and protecting our subsea infrastructure.
Ireland's maritime area is seven times greater than its landmass, with 90% of trade by volume transported by the sea and over 95% of international data and voice transfers routed through undersea fibre optic cables.
Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, will announce the details of a four-week consultation on a new maritime security strategy in the Dáil.
He is of the view that it is vital for Ireland to have a robust and effective strategy in place speedily and wants an open and constructive approach to the four-week public consultation.
The target is to have a new maritime security strategy published before the end of the year.
Speaking in the Dáil ahead of the launch, Mr Harris said it is "important" to get this strategy right.
"It is the first strategy of its kind and we do need to prioritise the risks and the threats that we face in our maritime domain and include a plan to address the most urgent and immediate concerns," he said.
"Getting this strategy right is so important. We live in a country where about 78% of our energy needs are imported on ships or via pipelines; around 90% of our trade is transported by the sea; and 95% of international data and voice transfers are rooted through our undersea fibre optic cables."
Mr Harris also said the Government is looking at a new national security plan for Ireland more broadly.
"The purpose of that is to ensure there are no silos or overlapping pieces of legislation and the maritime situation can also be considered in that context," he added.
