Multi-agency security watchdog looks out for suspicious behaviour in ships

A VESSEL sailing into Singapore caught the attention of the local maritime authorities last June.

On board was a crew member seeking to enter the Republic who had previously expressed interest in 3-D printed weapons and had an affiliation with terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiah.
Even before setting foot on Singapore shores, he had been monitored closely by the National Maritime Security System (NMSS) – a multi-agency security watchdog set up two years ago to prevent land and sea attacks.

Housed at Changi Naval Base, it scans international and Singapore waters, detecting and analysing an average of 10 “anomalies” a day pertaining to Singapore.

… Defence analyst Collin Koh from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said: “(The NMSS) is a good way to tap the capabilities of our agencies and it adds another dimension of deterrence against pirates and terrorists.”