ReCAAP ISC and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Hold Anti-Piracy Workshop

[By ReCAAP]

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), with the support of Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), today concluded a 4-day Capacity Building Workshop (CBW) held from 27 to 30 October 2026 in Busan, South Korea.

ReCAAP Focal Point officers from 13 countries (Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Greece, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), as well as representatives from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), BAKAMLA (Indonesian Coast Guard) and Indonesian Marine and Air Police Corps (IMAP), attended the workshop. In addition, representatives from the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology, Korean Register and Korea Institute Ocean Science and Technology also participated in the CBW.

Participants reviewed the current maritime security challenges in Asia and Europe, and discussed a range of topics, including:
• Republic of Korea’s piracy monitoring and response mechanisms
• Counter-piracy measures adopted by shipping companies
• Emerging threats to submarine cables and pipelines
• Maritime domain awareness tools and information sharing frameworks

ReCAAP Focal Point officers also took part in hands-on training on ReCAAP ISC’s revamped Information Network System (IFN), and practised submitting incident reports via a table-top exercise.

ReCAAP ISC Executive Director, Mr Vijay Chafekar, said, “Capacity building is one of the three main pillars of ReCAAP ISC’s mission. The Capacity Building Workshop in Busan provided a platform for ReCAAP Focal Points to refresh their knowledge on maritime security issues, information exchange network, and exchange best practices on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships.”

Mr Jung Do-hyun, ReCAAP ISC Governor for the Republic of Korea and Director General of Maritime Affairs and Safety Policy Bureau, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said, “Over the past two decades, ReCAAP has established a robust information sharing framework to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, while enhancing operational cooperation across Contracting Parties and international organisations like the IMO. As armed robbery against ships has persisted across this region over the past five years, we must reaffirm our shared goal for maritime security and the safety of our seafarers. The Republic of Korea actively contributes to these efforts and stands with all partners for working toward our common goal under the ReCAAP framework.”