Asia/Pacific News
Singapore's MPA Urges More Cooperation In Battling Piracy
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has called for strengthened efforts and cooperation in battling maritime piracy, in addition to reaffirming its own commitment to the cause.
The announcement follows a recent Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery (ReCAAP) report which showed a 22 percent increase in the number of incidents between 2013 and 2014.
"Singapore stands ready to cooperate with the littoral states to strengthen the coordination among the enforcement agencies," said MPA Chief Executive Andrew Tan.
The MPA also said that it is looking at positioning the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) as an "internationally-recognised centre of excellence for information sharing."
Singapore has been the host to the centre since its inception in 2006.
“We also commend the efforts by ReCAAP ISC in engaging regional governments and the maritime community to provide timely and relevant information and analyses of the incidents," Tan said.
"Such efforts demonstrate the commitment by ReCAAP ISC and ReCAAP Contracting Parties, including Singapore, to ensure an improvement in the piracy and sea robbery situation in Asia."
Earlier this year, ReCAAP said that in addition to a rise in the total number of piracy and armed robbery incidents, the number of fuel siphoning incidents had also risen in 2014.
