On Wednesday, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia joined forces to increase safety in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

A statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that a Joint Technical Arrangement (JTA) was finished by the three countries with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to institutionalize an IMO Trust Fund that supports co-operation among stakeholders towards enhancing marine environment protection.

During the opening of the 2nd Co-operative Forum hosted by Singapore, the heads of the maritime administrations of the three littoral States and the Director of Maritime Safety Division of the IMO signed the JTA. 

Singapore's Transport Minister and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim told, "The Straits remains one of the busiest and most important shipping lanes in the world. I am heartened by the collective interest and commitment of coastal and user States to work together to ensure that the Straits of Malacca and Singapore remain safe and open to shipping."

Later the letters of recognition was presented by Lim to the heads of delegations of Australia, China, Greece, India, Japan and the United States attending the Singapore meeting.

These countries were credited for their notable contributions towards implementing the six early projects under the Co-operative Mechanism.