The 20th Governing Council Meeting of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) in International Shipping News 13/03/2026 The 20th Governing Council Meeting of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (the Centre) was held from 10 to 12 March 2026 in Singapore, hosted by the Singapore Government. The meeting was attended by the Governors and Governor Representatives of 19 ReCAAP Contracting Parties (Annex A). The Close Session meeting was conducted on 11 March 2026 and the morning of 12 March 2026, while the Open Session, including the attendance of external participants from 15 partner organisations and two States (Annex B), was held in the afternoon of 12 March 2026. The Council noted the presentation made by ReCAAP ISC on the situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in 2025. There was a total of 132 incidents (127 actual and five attempted) in 2025, a 23% increase compared to 2024 (107 incidents). The Council noted the efforts by the Centre in issuing incident alerts and providing timely situation awareness to the maritime community. The Council also recognised the cooperative efforts by the ship master and crew in exercising vigilance, reporting incidents and adopting preventive measures when transiting areas of concern; and the law enforcement agencies in stepping up surveillance, patrols and making several arrests. The Council appreciated the Indonesian authorities for arresting perpetrators in July and August 2025. The arrests resulted in a significant decline in incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) from an average of 13 incidents a month from January to July 2025 to less than three incidents a month from August to December 2025. The Council commended ReCAAP ISC on producing positive results in respect to its activities in FY 2025 under the three pillars of its mission – information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangement. In particular, the Council noted the successful implementation of the revamped Information Network System (IFN), used by ReCAAP Focal Points to report and share detailed information on piracy and sea robbery incidents. The revamped IFN features a more intuitive user interface, clearer display of key information and streamlined reporting tools for more effective information sharing. The Council reviewed and endorsed ReCAAP ISC’s workplan and budget for FY 2026. A key focus of the workplan for FY 2026 is to produce timely and accurate reports, and to provide insights to shipping companies in making proper risk assessment and voyage planning using the ReCAAP ISC’s interactive dashboard, known as ReCAAP Data Visualisation Map & Panel (Re-VAMP). The Council reviewed and endorsed the Centre’s 10-year Roadmap for FY 2027 – 2036; with action plan for the Centre to remain relevant, and better serve the shipping industry in ensuring safe navigation of ships and safety of seafarers in the region. The Council noted the Centre’s plans to broaden collaboration with regional and international partners, through the conduct of workshops for ReCAAP Focal Points. The Council commended the Centre’s efforts in external engagement in 2025 with the shipping industry and other stakeholders. This includes the conduct of the Nautical Forum, Anti-Piracy and Sea Robbery Conference, Maritime Roundtable and Dialogue Sessions in Singapore, as well as participation in overseas multilateral conferences and shipping industry events. The Council welcomed the Capacity Building meetings schedule