The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) commemorated its 20th Anniversary today with a celebratory event graced by Mr Murali Pillai, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law & Ministry of Transport, Singapore, and a symposium featuring panel discussions on emerging maritime threats and multifaceted approaches to addressing piracy and other maritime crimes. The event, held in Paradox Singapore Hotel, was attended by Governors from 19 ReCAAP member states, ambassadors, as well as representatives from shipping associations, law enforcement agencies, academia, and regional and international organisations.
During the event, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) launched a coffee table book to commemorate ReCAAP’s two decades of regional cooperation and partnership with maritime stakeholders for safer seas in Asia. The Centre also unveiled the ReCAAP 20th anniversary website for the public and stakeholders to learn about ReCAAP’s history and ReCAAP ISC’s key milestones and initiatives from 2006 to 2025.
Mr Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), noted in his pre-recorded video address that over the past 20 years, ReCAAP ISC has evolved into a recognised Centre of Excellence for information sharing and a model of practical, regional cooperation. He also acknowledged the Centre’s efforts in helping to make some of the world’s busiest sea lanes safer for shipping.
Panellists discussed the rise of threats against shipping such as attack drones, cyberattacks and AIS jamming, as well as the need to improve maritime domain awareness, build trust and share information to effective address these threats. Discussions also centred on the need for clear, legal frameworks to prosecute perpetrators of sea robbery and other maritime crimes (Refer to programme in Annex A). Other highlights of the event included a welcome address by Admiral Ronnie Gavan, Chairperson of ReCAAP ISC Governing Council and Commandant of the Philippines Coast Guard and a presentation on “ReCAAP ISC: The first 20 years and the way forward” by Mr Vijay D Chafekar, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC
“As we come together to commemorate ReCAAP’s 20th anniversary, I would like to express my appreciation to past and present ReCAAP ISC Governors, Focal Point officers and secondees, as well as the shipping community and partner organisations, for their support and contributions over the years. The 20th anniversary is an opportunity for ReCAAP ISC and our Contracting Parties to reflect on the journey we have collectively undertaken, and to renew our shared commitment to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia through information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangements,” said Mr Vijay D Chafekar, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC.
“Looking ahead, ReCAAP ISC will continue to keep abreast of emerging maritime threats and their nexus to piracy and sea robbery, as well as leverage technology and data analytics tools, to provide useful incident reports for our Contracting Parties, shipping industry, law enforcement agencies and maritime stakeholders,” he added.
About ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC)
The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. The Agreement entered into force on September 4, 2006 with 14 Asian countries as Contracting Parties, and the Information Sharing Centre was established on November 29, 2006. To date, 21 States have become Contracting Parties to ReCAAP. To fulfil its vision as the Information Hub for combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, ReCAAP ISC enhances regional cooperation through information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangements. At the 12th Governing Council Meeting in 2018, the Council announced that ReCAAP ISC has met the criteria to be a Centre of Excellence for information sharing in combating piracy and armed robbery at sea. For more information about ReCAAP ISC, please visit http://www.recaap.org
