Indian maritime veteran Chafekar appointed as ReCAAP ISC Executive Director

 

By Gurdip Singh

 

Singapore, Apr 2 (PTI) Indian maritime veteran Vijay D Chafekar has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre in Singapore, the organisation said on Wednesday.

 

ReCAAP is a regional government-to-government initiative to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. Twenty one countries, including India, the US, Sri Lanka, and Japan, have ratified the ReCAAP agreement. The RECAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) is an initiative for facilitating the dissemination of piracy-related information.

 

Chafekar, a retired Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), has joined as the 7th Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC, the centre said.

 

Bringing with him 37 years of maritime experience, Chafekar assumed office for a three-year term from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028. He succeeds Krishnaswamy Natarajan, who completed his three-year term as the 6th ED of ReCAAP ISC on March 31.

 

On his appointment as the ED, Chafekar said, “ReCAAP ISC has come a long way in helping to curtail piracy and sea robbery incidents in Asia by enabling effective responses through information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangements. We need to sustain the momentum, so that the threat of piracy and armed robbery to merchant shipping and maritime trade can be contained.”

 

During his tenure with the ICG, Chafekar held senior roles in various aspects of coast guard operations, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and transnational crime prevention. He also represented the ICG in multiple national and international forums on maritime security and disaster response.

 

Chafekar was selected for the role on November 5 last year by ReCAAP ISC Governing Council, which comprises representatives from ReCAAP's 21 member states. His extensive experience in policy-making, organisational development, and maritime law enforcement made him an ideal candidate for the position, the centre said.