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SINGAPORE: There have been five incidents of theft or armed robbery in the Singapore Strait this year at the end of February, according to the Information Fusion Center (IFC), which shares maritime security information between countries. IFC is hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) at the Changi Naval Base.
The Singapore Strait comprises the territorial waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. All five incidents took place outside the Singapore section.
This is out of 270 “maritime security incidents” detected in the same period, in the region covered by IFC, which spans from the Indian Ocean to North Asia and the far north of Australia.
These incidents include illegal fishing, smuggling or human migration, among others.
Turning to last year, there were 34 cases of theft or armed robbery in the Straits of Singapore, which are among 113 such cases across the region, the center said.
READ: Theft incidents at sea in the Singapore Strait increase again in 2020
This was one of 1,919 maritime safety incidents that were recorded in the region last year, most of which were miscellaneous maritime incidents, including mechanical problems or rollovers.
While collecting information on these incidents as they occur, the IFC also aims to pass the information on to different international partners and enforcement agencies to protect maritime safety.
It currently has 100 links with partners in 42 countries.
Information exchange is facilitated in part by naval officers from participating countries, who are deployed to the IFC as International Liaison Officers (IGOs).
RSN Lt. Col. Lester Yong, who heads the IFC, said: “With the IGOs physically present on site, it allows us this daily communication and understanding of the area.”
“And anytime we need to have more information… then we can contact the respective OGIs of the countries, they will call their operations centers and any links they have to get more details. Then they will share with us, ”he said.
Since its inception in 2009, the IFC has hosted a total of 182 IMOs from 26 countries. There are currently 20 IMOs from 20 countries at the center.
READ: The Navy introduces a new maritime security flotilla, with armed ships that can go alongside ships quickly
German Lt. Commander Christian Hegering, who was sent to the IFC in February, said: “The great value for us is that we have the connection, we have the understanding of what is happening in this region.”
“Today, no state has every chance to understand the whole world … But everything that is happening here can influence the security of supply for our population,” he said.
Cambodia’s Lt. Sok Sal, currently the longest-serving ILO, added that while there may be culture clashes between such an international team, problems are always solved because the team has the same goal.
SAFETY IN REGIONAL WATERS
Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Changi Naval Base, Defense Minister Zaqy Mohamad emphasized that safety on the seas is important as Singapore is a maritime nation.
He also noted that although there have been more robberies at sea in the Singapore Strait, this is outside Singapore’s territorial waters.
In this case, the IFC plays “an even more important role” in transmitting information to the country’s neighbors, he said.
“The faster we can get through (information), the faster we work with our neighbors, the closer the interaction and trust will be, it will also do better for us, even if it is not in our sovereign waters,” Zaqy said. .
