MPA: CEO’s Welcome remarks at meeting of anti piracy contact points and workshop on piracy and armed robbery against ships on 11 January 2017

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) are pleased to co-organise this meeting of anti-piracy contact points from Africa, Asia and Europe, along with international organisations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that contribute towards the fight against piracy and sea robbery in Africa and Asia.

I would like to thank all of you, especially those who have travelled from Africa and Europe for participating in this meeting, and warmly welcome you to Singapore.

As maritime agencies, we are well aware that global incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships continue to pose a threat to international shipping and trade. While notable advances have been made in tackling this threat, the threat persists as perpetrators shift to more sophisticated tactics and opportunistic attacks.

We must therefore remain vigilant and continuously enhance our measures and strengthen co-operation among agencies and countries. This Meeting and Workshop is one of the first ever initiatives bringing together anti-piracy contact points from Africa and Asia to improve networking and information sharing between the regions. We see this as a small step towards contributing to the overall efforts to combat piracy and sea robbery.

Let me qualify that the nature and root causes of piracy and sea robbery in Africa and Asia are unique to the circumstances in each region and vary greatly. It is therefore not the aim of this Meeting and Workshop to find solutions to what are often complex causes to piracy and sea robbery incidents in both regions. Rather, this Meeting and Workshop has two objectives. First, to find ways to strengthen our relationships with one another in order to facilitate timely information exchanges and sharing across reporting centres. And second, to find ways to promote more active cross-sharing and learning of best practices. These can contribute to the strengthening of a global network of anti-piracy information centres.

As we all know, the timely sharing and dissemination of accurate information can often play a decisive role in the success or failure of an attack. By providing the opportunity to meet, mingle and share experiences, we hope the Meeting and Workshop will allow us to develop a strong global network of anti-piracy contact points across Africa and Asia that we can tap on for timely information sharing.

In 2016, due to efforts from all parties, there was an improvement in the piracy and sea robbery situation in Asia. According to ReCAAP, reported incidents of piracy and sea robbery in Asia fell from 200 in 2015 to 85 in 2016. Globally, the latest available figures from the International Maritime Bureau indicated a drop in piracy and sea robbery incidents from 246 in 2015 to 141 in 2016. We note the positive developments in Africa too, particularly off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, which had only 1 reported incident of attempted piracy and sea robbery, as of the third quarter of 2016. This is a steep drop from the high of 237 incidents reported in 2011.

As I mentioned, this is the result of strong collective responses by all stakeholders, including governments, shipping industry and the wider maritime community, including international organisations.

On Singapore’s part, we strongly support collective efforts to tackle piracy and sea robbery, both in Africa and Asia. In Asia, MPA and Singapore’s law enforcement and security agencies – the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Police Coast Guard – work with Singapore’s neighbours to deter and suppress incidents through the regular sharing of intelligence and patrols. MPA also works closely with and supports the ReCAAP ISC, based in Singapore, to share information, analyse trends, raise situational awareness, and build capabilities to deal with piracy and sea robbery.

The shipping community is also an important partner in the fight against piracy and sea robbery. MPA, the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Police Coast Guard regularly engage the shipping industry through forums like the ReCAAP Nautical Forum, which you will get to attend tomorrow, and the Information Fusion Centre’s Shared Awareness Meetings. Not only have such events raised greater awareness amongst the shipping community, they have also laid the foundation for joint collaboration with MPA, ReCAAP ISC and the IFC, on industry guides like the Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.

MPA also continually seeks to provide advice and solutions to the shipping community. Besides promulgating advisories to industry and encouraging the use of recommended practices for merchant vessels operating in piracy-prone areas, MPA also partners industry to test-bed and develop innovative shipboard solutions to counter piracy and sea robbery. On-going examples include the installation of radar enhancements and video analytics to detect small craft and attempted boarding, installation of shipboard closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) to detect and capture footage of intruders boarding vessels, as well as a real-time situation awareness and analytical platform, which will facilitate information sharing, passage planning and execution, to minimise the occurrence of security risks.

Further afield in Africa, the Singapore Navy participates in counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia under the multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. Singapore has also supported the ReCAAP ISC in its efforts to set up the Djibouti Code of Conduct Information Sharing Centres in the eastern coast of Africa. Beyond this, Singapore also participates in the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. I have cited these examples to show that our contributions to combating piracy and sea robbery are not just within this region but are conducted at the global level as well.

But we cannot lessen our efforts to address the problem of piracy and armed robbery against ships, as the threat evolves and new trouble spots emerge.

Since March 2016, according to the ReCAAP ISC, there have been 10 incidents of kidnap of crew reported in the Sulu-Celebes Sea and eastern Sabah region, attributed to Philippines militant group, the Abu Sayyaf. And there are early signs that the perpetrators are becoming more brazen, by making attempts on larger ships in the area.

Likewise, we note that in Africa, reported incidents of piracy and sea robbery, involving the kidnapping of crew for ransom in the Gulf of Guinea have also increased from 20 incidents in 2015 to 38 incidents as of the third quarter of 2016.

Collective action, close and effective communication, are key to combat this threat to international shipping and the safety and welfare of seafarers.

There are mechanisms to combat this threat. At the global level, the IMO promotes collective action. This is articulated as one of the key pillars in the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee Circular 1333 on recommendations to governments to prevent and suppress piracy and sea robbery. Furthermore, under the on-going deliberation of the IMO’s draft Strategic Directions, combating piracy and sea robbery continues to be included as a priority.

In Asia, we have the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre, which promotes rapid information sharing, capacity building and deeper co-operative arrangements to combat piracy and sea robbery. As the first regional government-to-government initiative to promote and enhance co-operation against piracy and sea robbery, ReCAAP and its network of Focal Points in Asia, have grown to include extra-regional members in Europe, as well as the United States.

Complementing ReCAAP ISC, we have the Information Fusion Centre, or IFC, hosted here by the Republic of Singapore Navy. The IFC is a multi-lateral agency comprising RSN and International Liaison Officers or ILOs, from the navies of regional and extra-regional countries. The centre facilitates regular situation updates and information exchanges through its extensive network of liaison officers and operational centres to ensure that our regional waters remain safe and secure.

There is also the Malacca Straits Patrol initiative, known as the MSP, involving Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The MSP’s three components – regular joint sea patrols, aerial maritime surveillance and intelligence sharing – have enabled MSP member countries to work together to prevent incidents of piracy and sea robbery.

In Africa, there is the “Djibouti Code of Conduct” covering the eastern coast of Africa and the “Code of Conduct Concerning the Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery Against Ships, and Illicit Maritime Activity in West and Central Africa”. In both instances, the IMO played an active contributing role to facilitate adoption of the Codes to enhance regional co-operation. Recently, the African Union has also announced a “Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development” which includes efforts to combat piracy and sea robbery.

Additionally, with a global scope that covers Africa and Asia, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, also contributes to the fight against piracy and sea robbery by acting as a reporting centre for shipmasters, and relaying information across to the shipping community, IMO, governments and enforcement agencies.

A common theme in these mechanisms is information sharing. That is why a key aim of this Meeting and Workshop is to foster closer linkages among all the anti-piracy contact points and relevant organisations for more effective communication and information sharing.

We have seen, in many instances, that this is critical to our efforts to combat piracy and sea robbery. There are many examples but let me highlight just one.. On 8 May 2016, ReCAAP ISC was informed by the shipping company about the loss of communications with tanker HAI SOON 12. ReCAAP ISC immediately shared the information with the Indonesian authorities, who along with the Singapore Authorities, tracked the ship’s movements. The Indonesian authorities eventually intercepted and boarded the ship the next day and arrested the 9 perpetrators found on board. Early reporting enabled the maritime authorities to respond to the incident quickly and apprehend the perpetrators. Beyond this, information sharing also allows us to analyse the problem further in order to resolve its root cause.

At this meeting and workshop, we can improve our individual capabilities by exchanging ideas, experiences and best practices. The proceedings over the next one and a half days, have been designed to foster a better understanding of each other’s work, and the sharing of best practices in information sharing.

The presentations and panel discussions will cover co-operative information sharing mechanisms, like ReCAAP ISC, and the Djibouti Code of Conduct Information Sharing Centres, as well as case studies of information sharing experiences. We have also included a session for interaction with the industry – for they are our key stakeholder.

The ReCAAP Nautical Forum, in the afternoon tomorrow, will then round off our programme for the Meeting and Workshop, with a sharing of analyses of maritime piracy and sea robbery incidents in Asia.

Ultimately, we hope this Meeting and Workshop will provide a new foundation and starting point for strengthened collective action that cuts across countries and across agencies. In order to maintain momentum on this, I propose two follow ups on the way ahead:

i. First, to put together and circulate a listing of contact point information, so that we can continue to keep our links warm and share relevant information across our agencies. The nature of the threat may differ from region to region, yet there are many common lessons to be shared. Singapore would be happy to initiate this “telephone directory” of sorts for anti-piracy contact points, starting with the information you have provided, and keep it updated on a regular basis, as personnel change.

ii. Second, the IMO and ReCAAP ISC have shown the way forward on what can be achieved through capacity building initiatives, both here, in Asia, and Africa, where they worked together to establish the Djibouti Code of Conduct Information Sharing Centres. There is scope to expand such capacity building activities so that focal points from Africa and Asia continue to learn from one another. We will be exploring future arrangements where such exchanges on anti-piracy information sharing are conducted on a more regular basis. It will possibly be the first cross-regional anti-piracy forum between Africa and Asia.

To conclude, as a maritime nation, Singapore will continue to expend all efforts to address the problem of piracy and armed robbery against ships. Having safe, open and secure shipping lanes is a key priority for us.

But we cannot do this alone. We recognise that efforts have to be collective, involving all stakeholders. Hence, I am confident that this Meeting and Workshop will develop a strong network of information sharing contact points to deal with piracy and sea robbery in Asia and Africa.

Without further ado, let me invite Ambassador Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director ReCAAP, our co-organising partner for the Meeting and Workshop, to also say a few words. I wish everyone here today a fruitful Meeting and Workshop and pleasant stay in Singapore.

Thank you.
Source: MPA