Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia, abbreviated as ReCAAP or RECAAP, is a multilateral agreement between 16 countries in Asia, concluded in November 2004 and includes the RECAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), an initiative for facilitating the dissemination of piracy-related information.[1]

Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia - Information Sharing Centre
Logo of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia - Information Sharing Centre
AbbreviationReCAAP ISC
Formation29 November 2006 (2006-11-29)
TypeInternational organization
PurposePiracy
HeadquartersSingapore
Coordinates1.2923863°N 103.792483°E / 1.2923863; 103.792483
Area served
Asia
Membership
20 state members
Executive Director
Masafumi Kuroki
Websitewww.recaap.org

To date, twenty countries have signed up for ReCAAP.[2]

ReCAAP History

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 4 September 2006. To date, 20 States (14 Asian countries, 4 European countries, Australia, the USA) have become Contracting Parties to ReCAAP.

The 20 Contracting Parties of the ReCAAP:[3] (As of April 2017)

 Australia Bangladesh Brunei
 Cambodia China Denmark
 India Japan South Korea
 Laos Myanmar Netherlands
 Norway Philippines Singapore
 Sri Lanka Thailand United Kingdom
 United States Vietnam

ReCAAP is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC)

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) was established under the Agreement and was officially launched on 29 November 2006 in Singapore. Masafumi Kuroki is the current Executive Director.[4]

Information Sharing

The ReCAAP ISC conducts timely and accurate information sharing on incidents of piracy and sea robbery. The ReCAAP ISC manages a network of information sharing with the Focal Points of Contracting Parties on 24/7 basis. Through this information sharing, the ReCAAP ISC can issue warnings and alerts to the shipping industry and facilitate the responses by the law enforcement agencies of littoral states. Based on the detailed information of incidents collected, verified and collated, the ReCAAP ISC provides accurate statistics and analysis of the piracy and armed robbery situation in Asia by its periodical reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual reports).

Capacity Building

In order to strengthen its network of information sharing, the ReCAAP ISC conducts capacity building activities of the Focal Points of the Contracting Parties through the training of their reporting skill, sharing best practices, updating the situation of piracy and armed robbery. It also facilitates the Focal Points to promote cooperation with other governmental agencies and shipping industry.

Cooperative Arrangements

The ReCAAP ISC promotes cooperation with other regional and international organisations (governmental organisations and shipping associations) to share information and best practices and to enhance its network in order to address the piracy and armed robbery collectively. It has signed documents of cooperation with like-minded organisations such as IMO, INTERPOL, BIMCO, INTERTANKO, ASA, IFC and DCoC.

References
  1. Unattributed (n.d.). "Piracy and armed robbery against ships". International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  2. Ted Kemp (23 Sep 2014). "Singapore Strait piracy: US enters fight against pirates in Asia". CNBC. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  3. ISC, ReCAAP. "ReCAAP ISC > About ReCAAP ISC". www.recaap.org. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  4. "ReCAAP ISC Annual Report 2016". ReCAAP ISC. Retrieved 1 July 2017.


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