Navy chief to chair Indian Ocean forum

As Australian ships and aircraft search the southern Indian Ocean for wreckage of the missing Malaysian airliner, Australia has taken the chair of the group of navies from nations bordering the Indian Ocean.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs will now head the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a body established in 2008 as a forum for increased maritime cooperation among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region.

The Indian Ocean was one of the most strategically important bodies of water in the world, specifically with regard to trade, he said on Thursday.

"Security and stability in the Indian Ocean is vital to Australia's economy and our way of life."

Admiral Griggs will hold the position for the next two years.

IONS is meeting in Perth this week.