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Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2024, the Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) and the Australian Border Force (ABF) reached a new milestone by jointly organising the inaugural Maritime Vessel Search Course (MVSC).

Held from 1 to 5 September 2025 at PCG Headquarters, the course brought together participants from eight international maritime agencies: the Australian Border Force, Singapore Police Coast Guard, Royal Brunei Police Force (Marine), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Bakamla RI (Indonesia), Philippine Coast Guard, Korea Coast Guard, and Japan Coast Guard.

This milestone event strengthened regional cooperation and advanced capacity building in maritime security as part of the PCG Transformation Plan to establish a Centre of Excellence for maritime training regionally and globally.

The five-day MVSC was jointly designed by trainers from the PCG and ABF to provide participants with the knowledge and skills required to perform vessel search operations. During the course, participants took part in both theoretical instruction and practical training exercises, including hands-on vessel search operations conducted on actual tugboats, offshore support vessels and chemical tankers.

The course facilitated valuable exchanges of best practices, tactical knowledge and operational procedures in maritime vessel search techniques. It also developed the camaraderie essential for effective multinational operations. The shared challenges and achievements during the course built strong strategic partnerships and friendships among all the eight agencies.

The successful completion of this inaugural joint training highlighted both the professional dedication and the growing partnerships among the participating nations and their Coast Guards. With maritime borders inherently porous, close collaboration between law enforcement agencies and Coast Guards is essential to safeguarding our waters and protecting livelihoods.