India to deepen engagement with Singapore-based ship safety agency

India, a founding member of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia along with countries including Singapore, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, the United States and several European partners, is set to deepen its engagement with the Singapore based ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre, its Executive Director Vijay D Chafekar has said.

Explaining what deeper engagement entails, Chafekar said it would involve more structured cooperation through formal arrangements, enhanced intelligence sharing, joint training and closer operational coordination with India’s maritime agencies. “We expect closer cooperation with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the Indian Focal Point of ReCAAP, for promoting safe and secure seas in Asia”. India’s MRCC network, operated by the Indian Coast Guard along the eastern and western seaboards and island territories, plays a central role in receiving alerts, coordinating responses and sharing real time information with regional partners.

Chafekar, a retired additional director general of the Indian Coast Guard who has been heading ReCAAP for the past year of his three year term, said the nature of maritime crime has changed. “Most of the attacks on ships are now for stealing engine and machinery spares for which there is demand in parallel markets,” he said, adding that “there has not been any incident of kidnapping of crew or hijacking ships in recent years.” He underlined that recent incidents are not linked to oil theft or cargo siphoning, but are largely low value, opportunistic robberies.

ReCAAP’s work is centred on its Information Sharing Centre, which acts as a regional hub for round the clock incident reporting, alerts and trend analysis, enabling quicker responses by coastal states and shipping companies.

Assessing the regional security situation, Chafekar said cooperation with law enforcement agencies has generally been effective, but vulnerabilities remain. “Overall, ReCAAP engagement with the law enforcement agencies has been good and a successful arrangement is in place for ships to sail through Asian waters safely, though the weakest point is still the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, where sea robberies have increased in 2025 though these were mostly petty theft cases,” he said.

In 2025, 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to ReCAAP ISC across Asia, a 23 per cent increase from 107 in 2024. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore accounted for 108 cases. However, Chafekar stressed that “the sharp increase in number of incidents on SOMS in 2025 does not indicate a corresponding increase in threat to maritime trade passing through the straits,” as most incidents involved minor theft without harm to crew or cargo.

He noted a marginal rise in incidents at Indian anchorages, with two cases reported in Kakinada and one in Kandla, compared with two incidents in 2024. “The arrest of perpetrators in one of the attacks in Kakinada led to a decline in such incidents in Indian waters,” Chafekar said. Only one Indian flagged vessel was attacked in 2025.

Chafekar said many recent sea robberies, particularly in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, involved local criminal groups operating from nearby coastal areas using small boats to target anchored or slow moving vessels. He emphasised these were not organised piracy syndicates or terror linked groups.

India, he said, has reinforced regional maritime security through sustained Indian Navy and Coast Guard deployments across the Indian Ocean Region , including presence patrols and escort missions. While shipping companies and insurers remain watchful, the low severity of recent incidents has not led to major trade disruptions or sharp increases in insurance premiums.

ReCAAP is preparing to mark its 20th anniversary in Singapore in March, where member countries will discuss future priorities, including deeper cooperation and use of technology. A high level Indian delegation is expected to attend. Chafekar reiterated ReCAAP ISC’s appeal to shipping companies to report all incidents of theft and unauthorised boarding to the nearest coastal state authorities, stressing that timely reporting strengthens regional maritime security.