Singapore to Host the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (Isc) for Further Five Years

1.     Singapore has reaffirmed its commitment to international cooperation to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. Singapore Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Mr S Iswaran (representing the Government of Singapore), and Executive Director of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC), Mr Masafumi Kuroki, signed a Headquarters Agreement through which Singapore commits to hosting the ReCAAP ISC for another five years. This arrangement will take effect from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027.

2.     The ReCAAP ISC, launched in Singapore in 2006, was the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. In recognition of its success as a model of strong inter-governmental cooperation against piracy and armed robbery at sea through information sharing, capacity building, and cooperative arrangements between member countries, maritime organisations and the industry, ReCAAP has seen its number of Contracting Parties grow from 14 since its inception to 21 today¹.

3.    “As a major transhipment hub port, Singapore is committed to doing our part to protect sea lanes and seafarers from piracy and armed robbery. The ReCAAP ISC has helped foster regional trust and cooperation to tackle this perennial threat at sea. Through this new Headquarters Agreement, Singapore has renewed our commitment to our close working relationship with the ReCAAP ISC. We look forward to hosting the ReCAAP ISC and continuing to support its mission to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region,” said Mr S Iswaran.

4.     Mr Kuroki said, “I am pleased that the revised HQ Agreement was signed between the ReCAAP ISC and the Government of the Republic of Singapore. The Agreement lays an important foundation of the ReCAAP ISC as an international organisation based in Singapore. I would like to express our deep gratitude for the invaluable support and cooperation of the Government of the Republic of Singapore extended to the Centre through various means since its establishment in November 2006.”

Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Mr S Iswaran

Mr Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of the ReCAAP ISC

¹The 14 Contracting Parties to ReCAAP at its inception were Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Today, ReCAAP’s Contracting Parties also include Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.