Singapore: The overall number of reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia appears to have declined, according to the Information Sharing Centre (IMC). The ISC, which is part of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), reported that in the first half of 2007 there were a total of 43 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery (of which 32 were actual incidents and 11 were attempted incidents). This is a marked decline from the total of 79 reported incidents in the same period in 2006 and 75 in 2005. ISC' Executive Director, Yoshiaki Ito said that while it is difficult to pinpoint the reason for this decline, and to predict if it is a short term or longer term trend, some of it could be attributed to the efforts of the littoral states in stepping up security efforts.
The Governing Council of the ReCAAP ISC held a special meeting today in Singapore to review the overall piracy and armed robbery situation in Asia, as well as to discuss the future plans of the ISC and the way ahead. Its Chairman BG Tay reported that the ISC has achieved full operational readiness within seven months of its official launch - five months ahead of schedule. ReCAAP was officially launched on 29 November 2006 to facilitate operational cooperation among ReCAAP member countries to exchange information on incidents of piracy and armed robbery, to analyse the patterns and trends of piracy and armed robbery, and support capacity building efforts. [05/07/07]
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