ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre Launches New Website And Mobile App

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, today launched a new website and mobile app to better serve its key stakeholders such as maritime enforcement agencies, shipping companies, and the larger maritime community.

New ReCAAP ISC Website

The new website, accessible at www.recaap.org, features a more contemporary interface with streamlined, more intuitive navigation. Key features include:

Prominently positioned digital tools with one-click access to
- Interactive Digital Map for consolidated past incidents
- Incident Alerts and Reports for easy retrieval of past Incident Alerts and periodicals
- Incident Reporting by ships to immediately e-file an incident to ReCAAP ISCEnhanced digital features
  
  Image credit: recaap.org

Enhanced digital features
- Integrated with ReCAAP ISC’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/recaapisc) to be immediately updated on the Centre’s latest reports and activities
- Incorporation of social sharing buttons to easily share ReCAAP ISC’s content on social media
- Mobile-adaptive so the website will be displayed optimally regardless of screen size

New ReCAAP ISC Mobile App

Also upgraded is the ReCAAP ISC Mobile App. Previously known as “ReCAAP Focal Points,” the first version was launched in 2014. Since then, ReCAAP ISC has received positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. Taking into account the feedback and riding on advances in mobile app technology, ReCAAP ISC worked on developing an enhanced version of the mobile app in 2017.

The new mobile app, renamed “ReCAAP”, is linked to the ReCAAP ISC website to enhance accessibility and utilization. The ReCAAP app contains three primary modules, i.e. Directory (of ReCAAP Focal Points/Contact Point), Publication and Reporting.

Improvements users will see include more efficient retrieval of the latest publications and reports, and a more user-friendly interface especially in manoeuvring from one module to another.

Leveraging on GPS-aided capability, the ReCAAP mobile app also includes new features for the Reporting Module. The report of an incident submitted by the ship master/owner to ReCAAP ISC via the Reporting Module will now be automatically disseminated to the ReCAAP Focal Points of the sender, ReCAAP Focal Points of the Flag State of the victim ship, and the nearest Coastal State of the incident (if these States are ReCAAP member countries). With the new features, information is disseminated seamlessly to the relevant ReCAAP Focal Points in a quick and timely fashion. The ReCAAP app is available for download using the appended QR code.

“The shipping industry like the rest of the world is entering an era of digitization. For example, many ships now provide Internet access to the bridge and to the crew. The upgrade of our website and mobile app represents ReCAAP ISC’s commitment to use technology to improve access to our reports and knowledge base, to facilitate information sharing, and to enhance the user’s experience when utilizing our digital tools,” said Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC.

Press release: recaap.org