Admiral Ronnie L. Gavan, Chairperson of the Governing Council of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre and Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard,

Mr. Vijay D. Chafekar, Executive Director of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre,

Mr. Low Chun How, Executive Director of the Singapore Shipping Association,

Friends and colleagues from the maritime community,

1              Good morning. And to our overseas guests, particularly our friends from MMEA and the Indonesia Marine and Air Police Corps, a very warm welcome to Singapore. I am pleased to join you for the 17^th Nautical Forum.

Protecting our Sea Lines

2              Shipping is fundamental to global trade and is the economic lifeblood for many countries. For Singapore, its importance is amplified by our reality as a resource-constrained island state. Almost everything we need – food, energy, raw materials and manufactured goods – depends on safe and reliable shipping.

3              This is why Singapore takes a serious view on piracy and sea robbery. Such threats endanger seafarers, undermine the safety of vital sea lines of communication, and disrupt the flow of global trade. 

4              Recognising these risks, Singapore has long supported collective and practical efforts to strengthen maritime security. Singapore was amongst the founding members of the ReCAAP, which entered into force in 2006.

5              I am glad that 20 years on, the partnership amongst the Contracting Parties, like-minded governments and organisations, as well as industry stakeholders under the ReCAAP initiative have grown stronger. Today, I will not go too much into the good work done by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre, or ISC in short, and Contracting Parties, as I am saving it for the 20^th anniversary event taking place in two months’ time. But suffice for me to say that through the ISC’s efforts to facilitate accurate and timely incident reporting, information exchange and the sharing of best practices, stakeholders now have better situational awareness to make more informed and effective decisions. 

Addressing sea robberies in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore

6              As one of the littoral States of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, Singapore pays close attention to the situation of sea robberies in the Straits. Last year, 108 sea robbery incidents were reported to have taken place in the Straits – an increase of 74% over 2024. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries to crew members, nor significant financial losses to the industry or harm to the marine environment. Nevertheless, the high number of incidents is a concern.

7              On Singapore’s end, we have implemented a variety of measures to raise awareness, strengthen vigilance, and enhance regional cooperation.

a. Singapore agencies have been intensifying industry engagement and outreach. This includes issuing  advisories to encourage the adoption of best management practices and promote the timely reporting of incidents. MPA has also imposed Corrective Action and Preventive Action reviews, as well as post-incident International Ship and Port Security audits for Singapore-registered vessels to ensure that the necessary shipboard security measures are implemented, and that any security lapses are properly addressed to avoid recurrence.

b. MPA is also broadcasting advisories to transiting vessels to remind them to remain vigilant. We transmit hourly VHF broadcasts during hours of darkness, and the frequency of the broadcasts is increased from hourly to half-hourly in the event of an unauthorised boarding. In addition, AIS messages are sent to vessels transiting through hotspots. Navigational Telex messages are broadcasted every four hours to specific locations where incidents have occurred. MPA’s vessel traffic service operators will also alert relevant vessels if they notice suspicious activities in the Singapore Strait.

c. As most of the incidents take place outside Singapore waters, Singapore agencies have been working very closely with our neighbours and regional counterparts to strengthen enforcement and operational coordination.

8              Of note, the Indonesia authorities has made successful arrests in July and August 2025 against sea robbers in the Straits. These arrests have resulted in a marked improvement in the sea robbery situation in the Straits in the second half of 2025. Although I had mentioned earlier that there were a total of 108 reported incidents in 2025, the numbers have actually dropped significantly from 80 incidents in the first half of 2025, to 28 incidents in the second half of 2025.  The vigilance and hard work of the Indonesian authorities played a big part in helping us to achieve this, and we thank and commend Indonesia for your efforts.  

9              Another important factor which made these arrests possible was the timely sharing of CCTV footages and evidence. MPA would like to encourage ship owners and operators to provide such evidence to the relevant authorities, and to the ReCAAP ISC.

Conclusion

10         To conclude, piracy and sea robbery is a transboundary issue that requires a collective and coordinated response from all stakeholders. At a time when multilateralism is increasingly under strain, it is more important than ever for like-minded governments to remain committed to working together, in partnership with industry stakeholders, to protect our seafarers, sea lines of communication, and the uninterrupted flow of global trade. Singapore remains firmly committed to this endeavour.

11         I thank ReCAAP ISC and the Singapore Shipping Association for co-organising this event with us, and I wish everyone here a very good 2026 and a fruitful discussion ahead. Thank you.