Indian Veteran Vijay Chafekar Appointed as ReCAAP ISC Executive Director to Combat Piracy

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. ReCAAP is a regional government-to-government initiative aimed at promoting cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. The organisation, which includes 21 countries such as India, the US, Sri Lanka, and Japan, works towards facilitating the dissemination of piracy-related information.

With 37 years of maritime experience, Chafekar assumed office as the 7th Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC for a three-year term from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028. He succeeds Krishnaswamy Natarajan, who completed his term as the 6th ED on March 31. Chafekar expressed his commitment to continuing the efforts to curtail piracy and sea robbery incidents in Asia through effective information sharing, capacity building, and cooperative arrangements to protect merchant shipping and maritime trade.

During his tenure with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Chafekar held senior roles in various aspects of coast guard operations, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and transnational crime prevention. He was selected for the role by the ReCAAP ISC Governing Council on November 5 last year, based on his extensive experience in policy-making, organisational development, and maritime law enforcement. His appointment reflects the centre’s focus on maintaining momentum in combating piracy and armed robbery threats in the region.

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