Singapore Hosts the 16th Malacca Straits Patrol Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) hosted the 16th Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting from 20 to 23 Jan 2026 in Singapore. The MSP JCC was co-chaired by senior officials from MSP member states, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI)'s Deputy Assistant to Chief of Defence Force for Operations, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Taufiq Arasj, Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF)'s Assistant Chief of Staff, Defence Operation and Training, Major-General (MG) Dato' Indera Zahari Bin Mohd Ariffin, RSN's Head of Naval Operations, Colonel (COL) Ooi Tjin Kai, and the Royal Thai Navy's Chief of Staff, Third Naval Area Command, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sathaporn Wajarat.

First established in 2004, the MSP aims to strengthen the safety and security of the Strait of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), a vital waterway where thousands of ships transit daily, through the implementation of practical cooperative measures amongst member states. These measures comprised of the Malacca Straits Sea Patrol (MSSP), the "Eyes-in-the-Sky" (EiS) Combined Maritime Air Patrols, and the Intelligence Exchange Group (IEG). In a display of commitment to enhancing maritime security in the SOMS, member navies / Armed Forces meet regularly to review the conduct of operations and discuss ways to enhance coordination and sharing of real-time information on suspicious activities and incidents, in order to cue operational responses and refine processes.

Singapore's co-chairman, Head of Naval Operations, COL Ooi Tjin Kai, giving his opening address.

Singapore's co-chairman, Head of Naval Operations, COL Ooi Tjin Kai, remarked in his opening address that "the MSP remains a pillar of our collective effort to safeguard the security of SOMS, a vital artery for regional and global trade. Our shared responsibility is to ensure that these waters remain safe and secure and free from disruption." All JCC co-chairmen reaffirmed the importance of the MSP framework in ensuring the safety and security of SOMS.

Other MSP JCC co-chairs giving their opening address.

MSP members and participants reviewed past incidents of sea robberies and petty theft within SOMS, and discussed measures to further enhance cooperation and coordination.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the incidents of sea robberies and petty theft situation in SOMS, and agreed that timely information sharing amongst MSP members would be critical in tackling these issues and cue effective operational responses. Participants also discussed about the upcoming MSP-related activities to strengthen practical cooperation and coordination amongst stakeholders, with upcoming meetings planned in the coming months, culminating in an exercise to validate processes and responses in early 2027.

MSP JCC co-chairmen signing the minutes of meeting, signifying the joint commitment to strengthening collaboration amongst MSP member states. [Top Photo: (Middle) COL Ooi Tjin Kai, (Right) RADM Sathaporn Wajarat; Bottom Photo: (Left) AVM Taufiq Arasj, (Right) MG Dato' Indera Zahari Bin Mohd Ariffin)

MSP members were briefed on IFC's role in facilitating information sharing to enhance maritime security.

As part of the program, the delegation also visited the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) at Changi Command and Control Centre (CC2C) where they were updated on IFC's continued efforts to strengthen information sharing to cue timely operational responses, especially leveraging the strong network of International Liaison Officers (ILOs) from 24 countries, deployed alongside RSN personnel. The delegation was hosted by RSN's Deputy Commander, Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) / Maritime Security (MARSEC) Command, COL Bertram Ang.