The International Maritime Defense Exhibition Asia (IMDEX Asia 2007) opened here on Tuesday with the participation of 37 navies and maritime enforcement agencies and 136 exhibitors from all over the world.

The six-day IMDEX Asia 2007 also brings together 22 warships from 14 countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, China, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the United States. Some of the warships will take part in the Second Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Multilateral Sea Exercise to be held in the South China Sea off Singapore in the next few days.

WPNS members will also participate in related activities such as the Multilateral Tactical Training Center Exercise and Maritime Security Information Exchange Seminar. These activities will allow members to practice and refine established WPNS processes while including scenarios and information sharing on maritime terrorism and piracy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of IMDEX Asia 2007, Singapore's Second Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen said that as an active partner of the international collaboration to promote maritime security in the region, Singapore is also setting up the Changi Command and Control (C2) Center, which will house the Singapore Maritime Security Center, the Information Fusion Center and the Multinational Operations and Exercises Center.

This provides a useful platform for interagency cooperation and information sharing from different nations to better respond to the dynamic maritime security environment, he added.

It is the sixth IMDEX Asia held in Singapore since its launch in 1997. IMDEX Asia, a major international maritime defense show, is a biennial event which includes an exhibition and warship display.