Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan PCG, has joined the Anti-Piracy and Sea Robbery Conference 2025 in Singapore today, 26 March 2025.

As the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia - Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) Governing Council Chairperson, Admiral Gavan welcomed the participants from international and local shipping associations, shipping companies, ReCAAP Focal Points, regional authorities, foreign missions accredited to Singapore, research institutes, and academia.

“Over the past two years, the global maritime situation has been marked by disruptions to shipping routes, geopolitical tensions, and challenges to global supply chains. This has created new challenges for the shipping industry, port authorities, and coastal states,” the ReCAAP ISC Governing Council Chairperson shared.

“To assist the shipping industry in incident reporting and making risk assessments, ReCAAP ISC has published posters with contact details of maritime rescue coordination centres in Asia and law enforcement agencies of coastal states, as well as launched an interactive dashboard re-vamp,” he furthered.

Moreover, the Chairperson of the ReCAAP ISC Governing Council, Admiral Gavan, emphasized the ReCAAP ISC’s continued efforts in updating the industry on the latest situation, as well as in supporting ship master and crew in adopting appropriate precautionary measures when transiting areas of concern.

Organized by the ReCAAP ISC, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), the conference served as a platform to deliberate on the modus operandi and analytics of piracy and sea robbery incidents in Asia. It also aimed to address emerging trends, developments, and potential areas of concern to enable collaborative efforts to ensure safe and secure seas.

Maritime stakeholders also discussed the global situation and maritime issues, examined emerging and ongoing challenges, and reviewed its impacts on maritime trade and the well-being of seafarers. They also tackled the threat of piracy and sea robbery in Asia, exploring its implications on the shipping community and how the industry can navigate these issues.

Afterwards, ReCAAP ISC Governing Council Chairperson, Admiral Gavan, graced the Maritime Roundtable 2025 to discuss the future direction of ReCAAP, together with maritime law enforcement agencies, leaders of international and local shipping associations, academia, and subject matter experts.

During the roundtable discussion, Chairperson Admiral Gavan highlighted the value of the shipping industry to collaborate with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to shape policy that will provide an enabling environment for coastal states to have a single focal point for reporting information and incident-related to piracy and armed robbery at sea to achieve cooperation efficiency.

Representatives also talked about how ReCAAP can remain relevant and useful in the international maritime community, while sustaining the innovative spirit that brought the Centre into being.