IMO head visits ReCAAP

Recent spate of hijackings discussed during visit.

Visit of Mr Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization to the ReCAAP ISC on 28 September 2015

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu who is visiting Singapore as a Keynote Speaker for the Future-Ready Shipping 20151, at the request of the Executive Director of the ReCAAP ISC, Mr Yoshihisa Endo, visited the ReCAAP ISC’s Office on 28 September 2015 and had an hour meeting with Mr Endo. This is the third visit to the ReCAAP ISC made by Secretary-General of the IMO; the previous ones were made by Mr Sekimizu on 23 April 2012 and the former Secretary-General, Mr E.E. Mitropoulos on 16 October 2008. Upon signing of Cooperative Arrangement on 4 December 2007 between the two maritime International Organisations, steady progress of cooperation between the two has since been made to-date. This visit on top of the previous ones further demonstrates the existing close cooperative relation between the two.

The meeting covered wide ranging issues of mutual interest, among others, the update of situation in Asia region including the increase in number of incidents involving thefts of marine gas oil, the Future of the ReCAAP ISC in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the ReCAAP, and several recent development in the Asian region, such as the implication of certain media reports regarding the International Meeting on Global Piracy, Armed Robbery and Maritime Security held on 14-15 September 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In the course of meeting, Mr Sekimizu applauded good work done to-date by the ReCAAP ISC under the leadership of Mr Endo and expressed his appreciation to its steady development in the past 10 years which has enormously contributed to the safe navigation in Asia. He underscored the high expectation of the maritime community has on the ReCAAP ISC, in particular for the upcoming 10-years as the ReCAAP ISC has already had the established basis to be able to respond to the evolving situation. He reaffirmed that the IMO would spare no efforts to continue
extending its cooperation to the furtherance of the ReCAAP ISC. Lastly, he sent his best wishes to the successful conduct of the ReCAAP’s 10th Anniversary Event.

Both of them concluded that the meeting was timely, useful and informative and that close contact between the two shall continue.