U.K. Sponsored Anti-piracy Centre Opened

Government minister Alistair Burt officially opened the Regional Anti-Piracy Prosecution and Intelligence Coordination Centre (RAPPICC) in the Seychelles.

The RAPPICC will bring together experts from around the world to share intelligence and information which will help to tackle the king-pins and financiers of piracy.

Commenting at the ceremony for the Regional Anti-Piracy Prosecution and Intelligence Coordination Centre (RAPPICC), the Minister said, "I welcome the vital work of the RAPPICC, which begins in earnest today. This center will play a vital role in targeting the heart of the piracy operations: the leaders and financiers of piracy who feel as if they are able to act with impunity. By targeting those at the top the RAPPICC will perform a vital and unique function, and will support regional capacity in tackling serious organized maritime crime in Somalia and across the Indian Ocean."

At the London Conference on Somalia 2012, the Prime Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the President of the Seychelles, during which the U.K. committed £550,000 towards the construction costs of the RAPPICC. We are also providing the center's first co-Director and one other U.K. officer.

The RAPPICC will be staffed by a number of international partners, including from the region. They currently expect participants in the center from the U.K., the Seychelles, the U.S., Tanzania, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Australia, INTERPOL and EUNAVFOR.