Yong presents a memento to Ling (third right) after the opening ceremony.
MIRI: Ship owners need to be more aware of piracy and armed robbery in Malaysian waters.
Therefore, it is vital that they get information on such activities to at least increase awareness and help reduce the cases, said Sarawak and Sabah Shipowners Association (SSSA) president Yong Ing Hui.
He reminded that the recent kidnapping cases in Sabah waters had indeed threatened the seafarers, ship owners and all shippers in the region.
“As most members of our association own and operate barges, tugboats, landing crafts, ferries and cargo ships, it is vital to enhance their knowledge by information sharing and reporting coordinates when encountering piracy or armed robbery,” he said in his opening speech at the Piracy and Safety Shipping Talk at Imperial Hotel here yesterday.
Yong informed that the past few days, the association had been holding road shows with Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) in several places including Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan and Miri, hoping to bring the ship owners together and come up with a resolution.
“We strongly believe that information sharing and prompt reporting of piracy are important to prevent and reduce the piracy cases within our region.
“Ship owners may not feel good when sharing their sad story of being hijacked or robbed, however, by sharing your experience, it may help many others to prevent and gain knowledge on fighting against piracy and armed robbery, and in a way, it could help to save lives and property,” he pointed out.
The one-day talk and sharing session was organised by SSSA, which was established in 1979 with a vision to unite all ship owners in Sabah and Sarawak to become a bridge between the government and ship owners or operators. Since then, SSSA has played a significant role in disseminating information, particularly related to piracy and armed robbery.
Despite the worrying cases of kidnapping which had disturbed Malaysia and other foreign countries affected, Yong highlighted that there had been a noticeable drop of about 63 per cent in the cases of sea robbery and piracy from January to June as compared to the last five years.
ReCAAP had also reported that this year alone, there were six cases of crew abduction, four cases of category four (involving loss of lives) and two cases of cargo theft. ReCAAP was the first regional government-to-government body to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery in Asia.
The role of ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) involves exchanging information among Contracting Parties on Incidents of piracy and armed robbery.
It supports capacity building efforts of Contracting Parties and for cooperative agreement.
The opening ceremony was attended by SSSA advisor Tan Sri Datuk Ling Chiong Ho as well as ship owners from around the northern region.