Strengthening Regional Maritime Security and Cooperation at the 46th Shared Awareness Meeting
Over 250 representatives from navies, coastguards, and the regional shipping community participated in the 46th Shared Awareness Meeting (SAM), marking the largest physical turnout ever. The meeting was jointly organised by the IFC, the Asian Shipowners' Association, and the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA).
The 46th SAM, which was dovetailed with IFC's 12th Regional MARSEC Practitioner Programme, provided opportunity for the shipping community to engage global MARSEC partners in sharing maritime issues and experiences.
Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Ng, Deputy Head IFC, and Mr. Michael Phoon, Executive Director of SSA, opened the event and emphasised the importance of collaboration between maritime stakeholders and the increasing challenges in the MARSEC environment.
The 46th SAM also featured presentations on the MARSEC situation in various regions: LCDR Michael Booth, Australia International Liaison Officer, presented IFC's mid-year MARSEC report in our Area of Interest; CDR Eric Jaslin from MICA Centre briefed on the Gulf of Guinea situation; and CAPT Lee Stuart from JMIC, who flew in specially from Bahrain, spoke on the Gulf of Aden/Red Sea.
Speakers from the shipping industry, such as RADM Jacques Rivière from CMA CGM, shared industry perspectives on best practices in the Red Sea, while Mr. Jay Poh from ST Engineering provided insights on the role of Unmanned Surface Vehicles in MARSEC.
We would also like to thank CDR Phuvajak Phuvanatnaranubala, Thailand International Liaison Officer for being the master of ceremony for the 46th SAM. We hope participants gained valuable insights from the 46th SAM. See you in the next SAM!