The website of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) now has a link to the Half Yearly Report, by the organization’s Information Sharing Centre (ISC), on piratical incidents in the Asian region (Indian sub-continent East to the Philippines and North to the Koreas and Japan) between January and June 2010.
Seventy-one actual and attempted incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported during this period, a substantial increase over the average of 44.3 for the first halves of the last three years. “Moderately significant” incidents were up noticeably in the South China, while “less significant” incidents increased notably in ports and anchorages of Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The level of “very significant” incidents stayed “fairly consistent” with prior first-half-year levels.
ReCAAP is a government-to-government agreement that addresses piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia by focusing on Information Sharing, Capacity Building, and Cooperative Arrangements. Its regional Contracting Parties (member countries) are Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In addition, Norway has signed on.
