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Aircraft carrier not on the drawing board
Kuala Lumpur - The government does not plan to purchase an aircraft carrier to complement the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in safeguarding national security. Deputy Minister of Defence Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin said this was because the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) was capable of defending the nation's airspace and seas. "We do not need an aircraft carrier as jet fighters can make use of our ports as launching pads during missions. " It only takes 30 minutes flying time from Butterworth to Kuching and as such there is ample time to defend our airspace and seas from any form of threat," he told the Dewan Rakyat here Tuesday. Replying to a question from Datuk Hasan Malek (BN-Kuala Pilah), Zainal said an aircraft carrier was only needed for a military exercise far off at sea and beyond the reach of RMAF. Malaysia currently has an array of jetfighters including MIG29, A4 Skyhawks, F18 Hornets and was awaiting arrival of the Sukhois in 2007 and 2008. "As for RMN, the government will enlarge the squadron by adding two more frigates making the total number to six." Zainal added it was part of a long-term plan to defend the country's maritime territories. "The sight of frigates patrolling the nation's waters will give the people confidence and that economic activities can be conducted without fear," he added. © 2006 BERNAMA.
Bangladesh port world's most dangerous but global piracy decreases, says watchdog
Kuala Lumpur - Bangladesh's Chittagong port is the world's most dangerous with more than 30 pirate attacks reported in the first nine months of this year, an international maritime watchdog said Wednesday. However, the number of sea attacks worldwide decreased to 174 between January and September, compared to 205 in the same period last year, thanks to stricter law enforcement, the International Maritime Bureau said in its quarterly report. Ships were boarded in 113 cases and 11 ships were hijacked, with six crew killed, 20 kidnapped and 163 taken hostage, the bureau said through its piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. "Although the number of attacks overall have reduced, there is a worry that in some key hot spots the situation has deteriorated," it said in the report. "Bangladesh recorded 33 incidents — 22 actual and 11 attempted — most of which took place in and around the port of Chittagong, resulting in it being accorded the title of the world's most dangerous port," it said. Bangladesh recently conducted a joint coast guard and navy operation involving 17 vessels and 3,000 troops to capture pirates in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the deaths of two pirates, the report said. Overall, Indonesia remained the world's No. 1 piracy hot spot with more attacks recorded in its waters than anywhere else in the world, the bureau said. Still, the number dropped to 40 in the January-September period compared to 61 attacks in 2005. The report also singled out Nigeria where attacks were marked by violence with large number of pirates carrying guns and knives. Even though only nine cases — six actual and three attempted — were reported, it said 17 crew members had been kidnapped and held hostage for ransom. The bureau said the attacks were "symptomatic of a large rise in the number of incidents against foreign oil workers" and political unrest in Nigeria. The bureau welcomed British-based global shipping insurer Lloyd's move in August to drop the busy Malacca Straits — which carries half the world's oil and more than a third of its commerce — from its list of dangerous waterways. Only eight cases were reported in the first nine months of this year, compared to 18 for the whole of 2005, but it urged ships to maintain a strict watch when transiting the straits. © 2006 the International Herald Tribune.
Copter carrying Sabah oil workers crashes; pilot missing
Kuala Trengganu - The pilot of a Super Puma helicopter is missing and three people were injured after the aircraft carrying two crew and 19 oil rig workers crash-landed during a thunderstorm and strong winds in the South China Sea, about 103 nautical miles off Dungun, Terengganu, early Sunday. The helicopter was ferrying workers, including Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak as well as Filipino nationals. The injured as well as the others, including the co-pilot, have been rescued, said state police chief SAC I Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani. He said that in the incident, which happened at 11.40 am, the helicopter is believed to have experienced technical problems and crash-landed about 200 metres short of its destination, Exxon Mobil's Tapis B platform. "The colleagues of the workers on the platform realised what had happened and immediately launched a rescue operation. So far, 20 people, including the co-pilot, are reported safe while the helicopter pilot is missing," he said. The three injured people were brought to the Kuala Terengganu Hospital at 3.25pm. They were airlifted by helicopter from the oil platform to the Sultan Mahmud Airport. The others were brought at about 5.20pm. Acryl said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency was conducting a search for the pilot. He said the helicopter had taken off from Kertih Airport at about 10.40am. In a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. said the helicopter, chartered from MHS Aviation Bhd, went down while approaching the Tapis B platform, located 240km off the coast of Terengganu. The company said 20 people on board have been rescued and were being treated, some on Tapis B platform and some at Kuala Terengganu Hospital. "One remaining person is unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations are continuing using all available resources," ExxonMobil said, without identifying the missing person. The company said it was still premature to release their names, adding that dedicated communication lines at 03-2380-3677/3679/3675/3635 have been set up to respond to queries from family members. One of the workers, Muhamad Safin Abdul Rahim, in his 20s, told reporters at the Kuala Terengganu Hospital that the helicopter crash-landed during a thunderstorm and strong winds. He said he believed that the pilot tried to avoid crashing into the oil platform. "It all happened so suddenly. I did not know what was going on. But the weather at that time was really bad with strong winds and lightning and thunder," he said. Muhamad Safin, who is from Kemaman, did not seem to have been injured. A check at the hospital revealed that the 20 rescued people had been brought there, including the co-pilot identified as Ismail Bakar, 43. The three people said to have been injured were brought to the hospital on stretchers, and one person was seen to have a bandage over one eye. A second van brought six more people at about 5.20pm. © Daily Express (Sabah).
Fewer pirate attacks in straits
Kuala Lumpur - The Straits of Malacca saw a slight drop in pirate attacks on ships in the first nine months of this year, thanks to increased patrolling by local law enforcement agencies, particularly from Indonesia. In its Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships report released yesterday, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) listed eight attacks for the January-September 2006 period, against 10 in the same period last year. Worldwide, the number of reported piracy attacks decreased to 174 compared with 205 in the same period last year, said IMB. IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre head for Asia, Noel Choong, said the drop in attacks in the Malacca Straits was largely attributed to an increase in patrols by Indonesia on its side of the straits in an operation codenamed Gurita 2005, which commenced last year. Co-ordinated patrols among the littoral states of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have also led to the decline. "Based on the latest figures, maritime safety and security in the Malacca Straits appear to be good in the short term. "In the medium- to long-term, the outlook is, however, unclear," Choong said in an interview yesterday. The 805km-long Malacca Straits is a critical shipping lane in the global trading system. It is used by some 50,000 ships per year carrying one third of world trade, which is also why the straits remains a target . "As such, it is vital that the three littoral states’ law enforcement agencies continue to maintain their patrols to reduce the attacks," said Choong. Choong said more than 50 per cent of pirate attacks go unreported each year. "Many attacks go unreported by ship owners for fear that the authorities will hold back their ship for days which will result in them losing more revenue. "However, shipmasters are strongly advised to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery to IMBs Piracy Reporting Centre, regardless of how minor the incident may be," Choong added. © 2006 NST Online.
Freight Management sees double-digit growth by Cindy Yeap
Freight Management Holdings Bhd's (FMH) move to expand its container feeder service by converting barges to transport containers would enable it to record double-digit growth in profits for its current fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 (FY07). It also expects more synergies from its newly acquired Singapore-based subsidiary TCH Marine Pte Ltd, which provides barges and tugboat services. FMH managing director Chew Chong Keat said on Nov 7 that the company was looking at several ways to enhance yield from its barges, adding that it had developed a new cost-effective way for Thai exporters to ship their goods along the Straits of Malacca. “As all our barges can be converted to carry containers, we aim to expand our reach to develop a container feeder service between southern Thailand, Penang and Port Klang,” he said at the launch of its new 240-footer barge in Batam, Indonesia. “Thai exporters will find it a more cost-effective form of transport service, and there are economies of scale in carrying containers via barges,” he said. Chew said FMH was looking to buy another barge over the next six to 12 months and expand its fleet, but this would hinge on its venture to enable its barges to transport containers. It is leasing two barges, but escalating charter costs have prompted FMH to purchase its own barges to have better control over costs. He expects FMH to begin adding containers to barges in the second half of FY07 at the earliest. Its 51%-owned TCH acquired the new barge for S$1.2 million (RM2.8 million), increasing its number of barges to five with a combined tonnage of about 20,000 tonnes. Chew said he expected contribution from its barge and tugboat segment to rise to between 8% and 10% of pre-tax profit for FY07 from between 3% and 4% in FY06. FMH would be able to incorporate TCH’s full-year earnings in FY07, compared with only four months' contribution in FY06. The purchase of TCH was completed in March 2006. “TCH offers exciting prospects for the group. There is vast potential for us to cross-sell its services to our wider customer base… That part of our business has experienced quite a healthy growth based on the feel from our first quarter. We believe this is just the beginning. We expect TCH’s contribution to the group to be increased going forward,” Chew said. TCH has a strong customer base in the bulk cargo business, transporting raw materials like organic gypsum and feldspar for cement and ceramic players like Lafarge between southwest of Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore via the Straits of Malacca. Currently, FMH’s main earnings are its sea freight business, where it provides freight services for companies that do not fill up a full container load as well as those with full container loads to 82 ports in 30 countries around the world. It currently handles around 60,000 TEUs of sea and rail freight annually. For FY06, FMH’s net profit grew 115% to RM7.74 million from RM3.61 million the year before. This was on the back of a 94% topline growth to RM160.83 million from RM83 million. © 2006 The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd.
IMB defends Bangla piracy data
KUALA LUMPUR 07 November – The Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau has defended its categorisation of Chittagong in Bangladesh as a “key hot spot” for piracy attacks. “Our data is based on reports from ship captains,” the Centre’s chief Noel Choong told Fairplay. The Bangladesh authorities were alerted twice by the Centre about the rising incidence of attacks in and around the port of Chittagong. Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard had in fact conducted joint operations in the Bay of Bengal and killed two pirates. “Our concern is that increasingly cargo ships are being attacked or boarded. Crew safety is endangered,” Choong said rebutting criticism from Chittagong port authorities that the report was exaggerated and only insignificant items were stolen. The Centre recorded as many as 33 incidents in Bangladesh – 22 actual and 11 attempted. A Bangladesh government representative is scheduled to hold talks this week with IMB officials. Meanwhile ransom negotiations are on to release 14 crew of the hijacked general cargo ship Veesham 1, owned by UAE interests, who are held hostage by Somali pirates since 1 November. © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Limited 1999 - 2006.
Malaysia to investigate harassment
of local fishermen
Teluk Intan - Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mah Siew Keong Friday said that Malaysia would investigate claims by local fishermen operating in the Straits of Melaka that they are being harassed by maritime security personnel from a neighbouring country. "We will compile their complaints and submit them to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for his action," he told reporters here. The Fisheries Department in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor would handle the task of gathering information from the affected fishermen, he said. The fishermen alleged that they were facing much harassment from the security personnel believed to be from Indonesia of late. About 20,000 Malaysian fishermen, mostly from the northern states of the peninsula operate in the straits. Mah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Teluk Intan, said that his ministry viewed the matter seriously as it could adversely affect the national fishing industry and national fish output. He added that the matter would be forwarded to Wisma Putra to be brought up at the Joint-Border Security Meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia in Jakarta this week. © 2006 BERNAMA.
MISC strengthens crude oil capacity
Kuala Lumpur – MISC Berhad, which is majority owned by Malaysian state-owned oil and gas major Petronas, has taken delivery of the fifth of eight VLCCs on order, the Bunga Kasturi Tiga, from Universal Shipbuilding in Japan. The delivery of the double-hulled 300,000-dwt tanker further enhances MISC's capacity in the energy transport sector. The acquisition of American Eagle Tankers in 2003 enabled MISC to break into the big league in crude oil carriage. American Eagle also operates 44 Aframax tankers and on Sunday signed an order for four Aframax vessels with Japan’s Tsuneishi for a total of $260M. Deliveries are in 2009 and 2010. MISC, which is the world’s largest operator of LNG ships with a fleet of 21, has 31 newbuildings on order at yards in Japan and South Korea with deliveries by the year 2010. These include three more VLCCs. The listed company now has a fleet size of 109 ships. © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Limited 1999 - 2006.
MISC to ship LNG to China
KUALA LUMPUR 08 November – Malaysian energy major Petronas has confirmed that the LNG tie-up with China includes carriage arrangements using MISC ships. MISC operates 21 LNG ships - the world’s biggest LNG fleet – and will deploy two vessels to transport LNG from Bintulu in Sarawak to Shanghai. “The size would range from 130,000-145,000mł depending on which ship is nominated at the time of delivery,” a Petronas spokesman told Fairplay. The agreement with Shanghai LNG Co provides for an initial delivery of 1M tonnes annually, which will later increase to 3M tonnes. The terminal is currently under development and is targeted for completion by mid-2009. The terminal is being built jointly by China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and Shenergy Group. The $25Bn deal that ensures supplies for 25 years was officially announced during prime minister Abdullah Badawi’s meeting with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in China on 30 October. Oil and gas giant Petronas is owned by the Malaysian government. © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Limited 1999 - 2006.
Only 50 years left for sea fish by Richard Black
There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study. Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Writing in the journal Science, the international team of researchers says fishery decline is closely tied to a broader loss of marine biodiversity. But a greater use of protected areas could safeguard existing stocks. "The way we use the oceans is that we hope and assume there will always be another species to exploit after we've completely gone through the last one," said research leader Boris Worm, from Dalhousie University in Canada. "What we're highlighting is there is a finite number of stocks; we have gone through one-third, and we are going to get through the rest," he told the BBC News website. Steve Palumbi, from Stanford University in California, one of the other scientists on the project, added: "Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood." Spanning the seas. This is a vast piece of research, incorporating scientists from many institutions in Europe and the Americas, and drawing on four distinctly different kinds of data. Catch records from the open sea give a picture of declining fish stocks. In 2003, 29% of open sea fisheries were in a state of collapse, defined as a decline to less than 10% of their original yield. Bigger vessels, better nets, and new technology for spotting fish are not bringing the world's fleets bigger returns - in fact, the global catch fell by 13% between 1994 and 2003. Historical records from coastal zones in North America, Europe and Australia also show declining yields, in step with declining species diversity; these are yields not just of fish, but of other kinds of seafood too. Zones of biodiversity loss also tended to see more beach closures, more blooms of potentially harmful algae, and more coastal flooding. Experiments performed in small, relatively contained ecosystems show that reductions in diversity tend to bring reductions in the size and robustness of local fish stocks. This implies that loss of biodiversity is driving the declines in fish stocks seen in the large-scale studies. The final part of the jigsaw is data from areas where fishing has been banned or heavily restricted. These show that protection brings back biodiversity within the zone, and restores populations of fish just outside. Click here to see where the evidence came from "The image I use to explain why biodiversity is so important is that marine life is a bit like a house of cards," said Dr Worm. "All parts of it are integral to the structure; if you remove parts, particularly at the bottom, it's detrimental to everything on top and threatens the whole structure. "And we're learning that in the oceans, species are very strongly linked to each other - probably more so than on land." Protected interest What the study does not do is attribute damage to individual activities such as over-fishing, pollution or habitat loss; instead it paints a picture of the cumulative harm done across the board. Even so, a key implication of the research is that more of the oceans should be protected. But the extent of protection is not the only issue, according to Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the global marine programme at IUCN, the World Conservation Union. "The benefits of marine-protected areas are quite clear in a few cases; there's no doubt that protecting areas leads to a lot more fish and larger fish, and less vulnerability," he said. "But you also have to have good management of marine parks and good management of fisheries. Clearly, fishing should not wreck the ecosystem, bottom trawling being a good example of something which does wreck the ecosystem." But, he said, the concept of protecting fish stocks by protecting biodiversity does make sense. "This is a good compelling case; we should protect biodiversity, and it does pay off even in simple monetary terms through fisheries yield." Protecting stocks demands the political will to act on scientific advice - something which Boris Worm finds lacking in Europe, where politicians have ignored recommendations to halt the iconic North Sea cod fishery year after year. Without a ban, scientists fear the North Sea stocks could follow the Grand Banks cod of eastern Canada into apparently terminal decline. "I'm just amazed, it's very irrational," he said. "You have scientific consensus and nothing moves. It's a sad example; and what happened in Canada should be such a warning, because now it's collapsed it's not coming back." [Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm].
Piracy cases in Malacca Straits down
Kuala Lumpur - The number of piracy cases in the Malacca Straits has reduced, an international maritime watchdog said on Wednesday. Only eight cases were reported in the first nine months of this year, compared to 18 for the whole of 2005, the International Maritime Bureau said in its quarterly report. But it urged ships to maintain a strict watch when transiting the straits. Overall, Indonesia remained the world's No. 1 piracy hot spot with more attacks recorded in its waters than anywhere else in the world, the bureau said. Still, the number dropped to 40 in the January-September period compared to 61 attacks in 2005. The bureau welcomed British-based global shipping insurer Lloyd's move in August to drop the busy Malacca Straits - which carries half the world's oil and more than a third of its commerce - from its list of dangerous waterways. Bangladesh's Chittagong port is the world's most dangerous with more than 30 pirate attacks reported in the first nine months of this year, the bureau said through its piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. However, the number of sea attacks worldwide decreased to 174 between January and September, compared to 205 in the same period last year, thanks to stricter law enforcement, the bureau said in its quarterly report. Ships were boarded in 113 cases and 11 ships were hijacked, with six crew killed, 20 kidnapped and 163 taken hostage, "Although the number of attacks overall have reduced, there is a worry that in some key hot spots the situation has deteriorated,'' it said in the report. "Bangladesh recorded 33 incidents - 22 actual and 11 attempted - most of which took place in and around the port of Chittagong, resulting in it being accorded the title of the world's most dangerous port,'' it said. Bangladesh recently conducted a joint coast guard and navy operation involving 17 vessels and 3,000 troops to capture pirates in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the deaths of two pirates, the report said. The report also singled out Nigeria where attacks were marked by violence with large number of pirates carrying guns and knives. Even though only nine cases - six actual and three attempted - were reported, it said 17 crew members had been kidnapped and held hostage for ransom. The bureau said the attacks were "symptomatic of a large rise in the number of incidents against foreign oil workers'' and political unrest in Nigeria. © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd.
Piracy report biased, says Chittagong
Dhaka - Chittagong Port Authority has blasted the latest report from the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre that brands the Bangladesh port as the most dangerous in the world. “The IMB report on Chittagong is false and biased and propaganda against our port to tarnish its image,” CPA chairman Shahadat Hossain told journalists yesterday in his reaction to the report. He did not elaborate on what he meant by "bias" and "propaganda", although a CPA official, who declined to give his name, told Fairplay that some shipping companies, including feeder operators, are behind the allegations. He said some operators want to promote the ports of a neighbouring country, while others operate a monopoly on the rapidly-growing Chittagong trade and want to mislead rival operators about this lucrative route by portraying it as “most dangerous and pirate infested.” IMB’s PRC reported that the number of attacks to the end of 3Q06 decreased worldwide to 174, which is 31 less than the 205 that occurred over the same period in 2005, but piracy continues to plague Bangladesh with an alarmingly high 33 incidents – 22 actual and 11 attempted. “The majority of these attacks occurred in and around the port of Chittagong, making it the world’s most dangerous port.” Shahadat Hossain claimed there had been fewer pirate attacks this year compared with earlier years as a result of the anti-piracy campaigns by the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guards in the Bay of Bengal. © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Limited 1999 - 2006.
RMN to strengthen presence in East Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu - The Royal Malaysia Navy (RMN) will beef up its presence in East Malaysian waters, particularly in Sabah, to protect the country's oil and gas reserves as well as its marine resources. Its Chief Tan Sri Ilyas Din said two new patrol boats, KD Pahang and KD Kedah, would be sent to Sepanggar, here, which housed the Second Sea Region Base (Mawila 2), before the end of the year. This will strengthen the monitoring of the East Malaysian waters, he told a press conference here after visiting the base before his retirement from the position in March 11 next year. He said preparations for the new boats' operations were being made and each vessel would have 64 crew members. In addition, a Fourth Sea Region Base (Mawila 4) would be established at Sijingkat, Kuching, to support Mawila 2 which would monitor the South China Sea and Sabah East Coast waters, he said. "We already have the land, and our existing projects are no longer a priority as we only make minimum investments on them," he said. With the completion of the Sijingkat base, the RMN's long-term plan to have four sea region bases would be realised, he said. Currently, RMN has three of such bases, one each in Tg Gelang, Pahang; Sepanggar; and its latest one in Langkawi which started operations last July. Ilyas also said the port in front of the RMN base in Tawau, Sabah would be modernised in line with the growing importance of the area that held many important natural resources that needed to be protected. Commenting on preparations for a submarine base in Sepanggar, he said the tender to make available a school to train the crew as well as the supporting infrastructure had been issued under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP). Ilyas said he was optimistic that his subordinates could manage the three new submarines, arriving from France inclusive with support and training schemes. He said a submarine training school would be set up in Sepanggar to ensure the availability of second-liner crew for these submarines as one modern submarine had to be attended by some 31 multi-skilled crew. The RMN is negotiating with certain parties to build two frigates in the country to boost the local maritime industry's capability. Reminiscing on his four-decade experience in the force, Ilyas said the RMN had changed from a marine force using old ships to a modern armada equipped with torpedos that could handle submarines like those owned by developed nations. Ilyas said he hoped the RMN members would not look down on the importance of knowledge as sophisticated military technology demanded for informed and skilful soldiers. "I think the government had given me a meaningful life. In 37 years, I have paid back as much as I can. This uniform that I am wearing for almost four decades has become heavy," he said when commenting on his retirement process that started this Nov 15 where he had taken his leave. Ilyas said he was somewhat disappointed with the quality of buildings, quarters and infrastructure at Mawila 2, here which was occupied by Navy members this year despite the absence of proper basic amenities. Without proper roads into the base, their children had to take a boat ride to schools, a sacrifice made by their families to ensure that the base was in operations, he said. Ilyas held the Navy Chief position since April 28 2005, succeeding Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor who was promoted as the Malaysian Defence Forces Chief on the same date. © 2006 BERNAMA.
Study: 90% of the ocean's edible species may be gone by 2048 by Elizabeth Weise
Oversight of commercial fishing must be strengthened or there may eventually be no more seafood. That's the conclusion of a report in today's Science journal that predicts 90% of the fish and shellfish species that are hauled from the ocean to feed people worldwide may be gone by 2048. Even now, 29% of those species have "collapsed," meaning a 90% decline in the amount being fished from the sea, said Boris Worm, lead author and a professor of marine conservation biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. "It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," Worm said. The paper represents four years of work by an international team of researchers at various universities who analyzed ocean species diversity over the past 1,000 years. The team concludes that this trend can be reversed. "We need to implement sustainable fishing methods, create marine sanctuaries where species can replenish themselves and limit pollution from coastal areas," said Heike Lotze, a marine ecologist at Dalhousie University. "If the habitat is gone or the water's destroyed," the fish populations can't bounce back, she said. "We know how to do this. But it must be done soon," Worm said. "With each species that is lost, the opportunity for the system to repair itself is diminished." The findings are too pessimistic and not true of the USA, said Steve Murawski, chief scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, which oversees fishing regions in U.S. waters. Murawski said "aggressive fisheries management" is reducing the percentage of U.S. overfished species, which he estimated is now 20%. U.S. fishing regions represent about 10% of the world's catch. Worldwide, overfishing is a big part of the problem, the researchers said. "Every year it's estimated that human beings remove 150 million metric tons of life from the seas," said Joshua Reichert, environment-program director at Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia. But fishing isn't the only problem, the report states. The destruction of coastal areas, estuaries and reefs by dredging, building and pollution destroys nursery habitats for young fish. As marine species disappear, the ability of others to survive is further harmed by the drop in the ocean's overall productivity and stability, the researchers found. Fish and seafood are key protein sources for a world that's expected to add another 3 billion people by 2050. But it's also a problem for people who don't eat fish. Sixty percent of Americans live within 60 miles of a coast. Declines in marine biodiversity can:
•Increase coastal flooding because of the loss of floodplains and erosion control provided by the wetlands, reefs and underwater vegetation that are a cornerstone of marine life.
•Reduce water quality by destroying the plants, shellfish and fish that are the ocean's biological filtering apparatus.
•Increase beach closure because of harmful algae blooms, such as red tide, facilitated by diminished filtering. © 2006 USA TODAY.
Tg Pelepas port bags Lloyd's container terminal award
The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) has edged out other Asian ports to grab Lloyd's List Maritime Asia Container Terminal Of The Year Award. It was chosen for the highest recorded productivity among global ports at the recent Maritime Asia Awards ceremony organised by Lloyd's List in Kuala Lumpur. Other criteria were the cost of service, value for money, average speed to berthing, on-site facilities, overall efficiency and frequency of liner calls. PTP chairman Datuk Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman received the award on behalf of the port. In a statement released in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, PTP chief executive officer Harun Johari said the award was most appropriate and came at the right time. "It is significant as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, at the recent launch of Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar in Johor, had singled out PTP as one of the key drivers for the new regional growth area, making it the seaport and international gateway for the region. "PTP is today one of the fastest- growing ports in the world, and is already acknowledged by the world's major shipping lines as a premier world-class transhipment hub. "We will continue to work hard and build on our success to increase productivity and provide the best value-for-money services to meet customers' expectations," he said. Harun said that with most ports in Asia and the world constantly facing congestion and capacity constraints as well as the introduction of bigger vessels with deeper draft requirements, PTP was poised to be one of the very few select ports in the world with the capacity to readily cater for container traffic growth over the next 15 years. "PTP, with its state-of-the-art facilities and draft of 19 metres, can accommodate the largest container vessels currently in the world today. "In 2005, it handled 4.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units after only five years of operations, representing a remarkable tenfold increase in growth over such a short period of time," he said. PTP has also been awarded the Best Emerging Container Terminal in 2000 and 2001, Asia's Container Terminal of The Year in 2004 and Best Productivity and Best Terminal in 2005. © The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.
US praises Malaysia and others for anti-piracy steps
Honolulu - Nations bordering the once pirate-infested Malacca Strait in Southeast Asia have made significant progress ousting the sea robbers, senior U.S. naval commanders said this week at an international navy conference in Waikiki. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore began coordinating their sea patrols of the narrow waterway - through which half the world's oil trade and a third of global commerce passes - in July 2004. They started air patrols last year. U.S. leaders had voiced concerns terrorists could ally themselves with pirates already established in the strait to blow up an oil tanker or turn ships into floating bombs. But there have been only three sea robberies in the Malacca Strait in the first half of this year compared to 18 cases last year and 38 in 2004, according to Malaysia's Defence Ministry. In August, the British insurance market Lloyd's lifted its "war-risk'' rating for the waterway, saying security along the 550-mile-long (885-kilometer-long) strait had improved due to long-term security measures. "We've seen for instance the joint partnership of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia have a pretty big impact within the last year on piracy,'' Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the head of the U.S. Navy, said on the sidelines of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium. "The number of incidents have gone down dramatically,'' Mullen said. The Malacca Strait is thousands of miles from the nearest U.S. territory. But two of America's biggest trading partners - China and Japan - are heavily dependent on oil that travels through the strait on tankers from the Middle East, making the waterway critically important to the global economy underpinning U.S. prosperity. "It's of vital national interests to us, it's of vital national interest actually to many countries because of what goes through there,'' Mullen said. Adm. Gary Roughead, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, said the success countries along the strait have had beating back piracy showed the value of using sensors and tracking systems to monitor ships. Having protocols in place allowing countries to share the information was also important, he said. "If something appears to depart from the norm, then you can act upon it. And they have done that,'' Roughead said Thursday. "As a result of it, piracy or sea robbery ... is down.'' Both Mullen and Roughead said the ability of countries to keep track of small boats would be key to international efforts to boost maritime security in the future. The International Maritime Organization requires all ships weighing more than 300 tons to have beacons identifying themselves to other ships. But smaller ships generally do not face such rules, creating worries terrorists will use the loophole to launch attacks. Pirates in the Malacca Strait already use small boats. Roughead favours requiring every ship at sea to sport an identifier, though he acknowledged imposing such a regulation would take time and face many obstacles. Singapore, a city-state heavily reliant on trade, recently started requiring all boats registered there to have beacons, making it one of the first countries to do so. © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd.
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Australian aircraft could help safeguard Strait of Malacca, says Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur - Australian surveillance aircraft may soon help spot rogue vessels entering the Strait of Malacca as part of a regional effort to secure the world's busiest waterway, Malaysia's defense chief said Wednesday. Adm. Mohamad Anwar Mohamad Nor was speaking at a gathering of top defense and military officials from 23 countries including nuclear powers United States, France and Pakistan, along with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and several Southeast Asian nations. Mohamad Anwar said the potential assistance was "at the discussion level" and would soon be debated by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia — the three nations straddling the 900-kilometer (550-mile) strait. The idea was for Australian planes to "provide an early warning picture" of ships entering from the Indian Ocean, Mohamad Anwar told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference. Information would then be passed onto the littoral states for enforcement action if needed. "The Australian Defense Force has a 'gateway patrol' operating from Australia and also using our Butterworth base to the Indian Ocean," Mohamad Anwar said. "With that kind of capability to patrol areas, we could discuss for them to do the northern approach to the Strait of Malacca only. Mohamad Anwar said the idea would be debated at the next meeting between the littoral states, and would only go ahead if all three agree. Australian Defense Forces chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said his troops would not get "directly involved" in patrolling the waterway. He did not elaborate. After pressure from Western governments to step up enforcement, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia in 2004 began conducting coordinated maritime and air patrols to curb piracy and address concerns that international terrorists might target some of the 65,000 vessels that pass through it every year carrying half the world's oil and more than a third of its commerce. Officials had indicated that they might also seek funds and other assistance to safeguard the strait from the threat of piracy and terrorism. Meanwhile, discussions at the two-day defense conference, which ends later Wednesday, have focused on themes related to the nuclear threat from North Korea. "All the nations here are concerned about what is happening in North Korea," said Australia's Houston. Sri Lankan military chief Air Chief Marshal G.D. Perera said his government needed "a lot of assistance" a separatist conflict by Tamil Tigers rebels. More than 3,000 people have died in violence since December. "Sri Lanka is straddled with a terrorist issue and a lot of assistance is required from neighboring countries, not only India and Pakistan but also in the region," Perera said. © 2006 the International Herald Tribune.
Australia, Indonesia to sign new security pact signaling warming ties
Lombok, Indonesia - Indonesia and Australia were to sign a new security agreement on Monday aimed at warming their often chilly relations and boosting cooperation on anti-terrorism, border security and intelligence. The wide-ranging pact also formally recognizes Indonesia's sovereignty over its sprawling archipelago -- a clause demanded by Jakarta amid long-standing suspicions by some here that Australia is sympathetic to the country's separatist movements. The deal marks an improvement in the neighboring nations' ties, which all but collapsed in 1999 over East Timor's break from Indonesia and Australia's deployment of troops there to quell unrest. Although relations have gradually improved since then, they were again strained last year over Australia's decision to accept a boatload of asylum seekers from Indonesia's restive Papua province this year. "This is a historic measure that will contribute to peace and security in the region," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said last week. Foreign ministers from both nations are due to sign the deal on the resort island of Lombok on Monday evening. It is the first formal security agreement between the two countries since Indonesia scrapped the previous treaty during the East Timor crisis in 1999. The deal, under negotiation for two years, covers 10 key areas such as defense, law enforcement, counter terrorism, intelligence, energy, aviation and maritime security and emergency aid. "It's very important that we have a cooperative relationship with Indonesia in defense ties," Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said Sunday. "The treaty will in a sense formalize what we are already doing." Australia and Indonesia have cooperated closely in anti-terrorism efforts following bombs on Bali island that killed 88 Australians in 2002 and a deadly attack two years later on Australia's diplomatic mission in Jakarta. © 2004-2005 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS.
Exercise
to improve regional SAR cooperation
Kuala Lumpur - Regional search-and-rescue (SAR) coordination efforts are set to improve as seven Asean countries began a three-day joint search-and-rescue exercise (SAREX) in Malaysia Tuesday. Apart from host Malaysia, the joint exercise is being participated by Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam and Indonesia. "This is the fourth time Malaysia is hosting this important exercise," said Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director Harizan Mohd Yatim who earlier launched the event. Asean countries signed an agreement to conduct the SAREX in 1972. The Asean Air Transport Working Group (ATWG) has also decided that Asean countries should take turns to organise SAREX annually. Harizan said 14 agencies were helping in organising the exercise. They include the DCA, Maritime Enforcement Agency, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Navy, police, Marine Department, Fire and Rescue Services Department, Health Department, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Malaysia Airport Holdings and the Malaysian Meteorological Department. "This exercise is aimed at ensuring all SAR agencies in the region are able to coordinate and help each other during major emergencies. It will also promote understanding and cooperation between SAR agencies in the region. "In an exercise like this, we try to identify weaknesses and rectify them through more interaction, training, seminars and meetings," he said. Tomorrow, a mock SAR exercise for plane crash victims will be held at Terminal 3, Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, Subang. On Thursday, a mock exercise to rescue victims of tragedies at sea will be held at Port Klang. Harizan said SAR agencies from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei had cooperated very well during the Bario Helicopter crash in July 2004. © 2006 BERNAMA.
Malaysia needs roadmap to boost shipbuilding sector: Institute by Presenna Nambiar
MALAYSIA needs to establish a roadmap, much like what has been done for the automobile industry, to grow the shipbuilding and ship repairing industry here, say a research fellow from the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA). "The success achieved by countries, such as Japan and China, in this industry is not something accidental or reactionary but the culmination of a plan that was put down on paper, a plan which was also able to adapt to changes in the industry," Mima research fellow Nazery Khalid said in his speech when addressing some 25 participants at a seminar held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The seminar was entitled "The State and Future of Malaysian Shipyards: Towards Improved Capability and Capacity". Nazery said the shipbuilding and ship repairing industry needs to be designated as a strategic industry and be promoted as such in line with the nation's growing trade. There is a need for the Government to provide subsidies at the infant stage to help players absorb the high-capital expenditure associated with the industry. "No country in the world, which has been successful in this industry, was able to do it without government intervention in the form of funding," Nazery said. Meanwhile during his opening speech, Mima director-general Datuk Cheah Kong Wai said Malaysian shipyards are still unable to cash in on the bullish outlook of the regional and global shipping sector. This is due to issues like technological skills and manpower, rising operational costs and excess capacity, with most of shipyards in Malaysia utilising only 50 per cent of their capacity. Local yards also lose business to foreign yards due to their inability to service certain type of ships. They have also been said to take too long to repair certain types of ships. Many shipyards in Malaysia still specialise in low-value and small vessels. As of last year, there are six big yards, 56 yards with a manufacturing licence and more than 30 small yards. Shipbuilding and ship repairing activities are now grouped under as manufacturing activities. © The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.
MECC detains two barges in Ops Tambak
Johor Baharu - The Maritime Enforcement Coordination Centre (MECC) detained two tugboats for contravening maritime regulations, in the week-long "Operasi Tambak" which ended Monday. MECC Director, Laksamana Pertama Mohd Rashid Harun said, in the first instance, a tug-boat from Riau, Indonesia heading for Batu Pahat was detained for not having proper documents when bringing coconuts into Malaysia. In the second incident, a tug-boat was compounded RM5,000 for carrying stones without proper documents," he said in a statement here, Tuesday. Mohd Rashid said, several agencies including the Southern Region Marine Police, Customs, Fisheries Department, Department of Environment (DOE) and others took part in the operation. The operation covered an area from Muar to Beting Ramunia near Kota Tinggi. "The Operation mission was to take action against those who broke the law such as sand digging without permit, piracy, smuggling and other maritime crimes," he said. He added, more operations would be held to ensure safety in Malaysian waters. © 2006 BERNAMA.
Radar system for Sabah's East Coast to enhance security
Kota Kinabalu - The federal government will put up a coastal radar system in Sabah's east coast under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) to enhance security in the area. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Datuk Mohammad Nik said today the surveillance system would help watch the movement of boats and shipping vessels, and provide information on matters of interest. "It (radar) is for the purpose of security cover and also for the identification of any suspicious activity in our own waters and waters bordering other countries. "And this will enable us to deploy our asset in a more effective way to carry out inspection of those suspicious vessels," he told a news conference here. Mohammad said the tender for the project was expected to be out early next year and he hoped the radar system would be ready as soon as possible. He said the radar system could provide minimum coverage from the east coast to the northern part of Sabah. MMEA would also acquire helicopters for surveillance, search and rescue operations to enhance it operational capabilities as well as provide more services to the maritime community. He said plans were also in the pipeline to station MMEA's asset in Tawau, Semporna, Sandakan and Labuan by early next year to complement the armed forces and police in law enforcement and in guarding the coastal areas in the eastern part. © 2006 BERNAMA.
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Boost for maritime security with launch of Information Sharing Centre in Singapore by Noor Mohd Aziz
Singapore - Efforts to stem piracy attacks on the high seas have gotten a boost with the launch of an Information Sharing Centre, based in Singapore. It is set up by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). The Centre will enable swift exchange of information between agencies of participating countries on piracy. This is the first time regional governments have come together to formalise a platform to tackle the piracy problem in Asia. A total of 13 Asian countries have agreed to join the agreement with a 14th on the way. But Malaysia and Indonesia are conspicuous by their absence from the line-up. Raymond Lim, Transport Minister, says: "We have to look at this matter in context. Both Indonesia and Malaysia have recognised publicly that regional cooperation is important, information sharing is important on a regional basis to effectively combat piracy in this region. "I think both foreign ministers from Indonesia and Malaysia said as much in the joint statement in Batam in August last year and we look forward to them coming on board when they are ready to do so." © 2006 MCN International Pte Ltd.
Freight management Q1 profit jumps 26pc
Multimodal freight service provider Freight Management Holdings Bhd (FMH) saw a 26 per cent jump in net profit in its first fiscal quarter ended September 30 2006, driven by increased revenue from its sea freight division, its customs brokerage services and its tug and barge business. It posted a net profit of RM2.4 million, up from RM1.9 million, in the same period last year. "Our core business has generally registered steady growth and our sea freight services have also benefited from our efforts to improve the load factor in the LCL (less than one container load) segment," FMH managing director Chew Chong Keat said in a statement. The improved profit was a direct result of measures taken to improve load factor in the LCL segment. Revenue also grew by 21 per cent to RM46.2 million from RM38.1 million a year ago. FMH's 51 per cent subsidiary TCH Marine Pte Ltd, a newly-acquired business, will give a full-year contribution from its tugs and boats business this financial year. Singapore-based TCH Marine specialises in the provision of barge, tugboat and other marine services. "TCH Marine has been a good investment for us and the business is doing well. In that respect, it was timely for us to add a new barge to its fleet to cater to higher demand for its services," Chew said. TCH Marine recently acquired a new barge, increasing the number of barges it owns to five. "We are pleased with our first-quarter results and are optimistic of achieving a favourable performance for the current financial year ending June 30 2007," Chew said. FMH currently services the freighting of bulk raw materials between south- west of Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, through the Straits of Malacca. © The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.
Kenya: KPA woos Malaysia by Patrick Beja
Nairobi - The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has again cast its net wide in Asia for technology and expertise necessary to lift the operational standards at the Mombasa port. The latest strategy is twinning with one of the six high-performing ports in Asia - Port Klang in Malaysia. After a year of talks, Mombasa port finally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian port last Monday. Two years ago, KPA was in China where it bought its key cargo handling cranes worth about Sh2 billion. The cranes were recently praised for their performance of 1000 moves per 24 hours at Mombasa port. The deal signed between KPA chief executive officer, Mr Abdallah Mwaruwa, and Port Klang general manager, Ms Datin Paduka Phang, will see Mombasa port raise its cargo handling profile, marine projects and technology. In the MoU, the two ports agreed to mutual assistance in port studies, training, exchange of information, technical assistance, traffic development and promotion of services. Other areas are port planning, information technology, environment, safety, organisation and operation of vessel traffic management systems (VTMS) in the port. Mwaruwa said the new co-operation would be key to Kenya's economic growth. Phang added that Malaysia decided to enhance co-operation with Mombasa port in its bid to promote business between Asia and East Africa. "This is part of Malaysia's south-to-south co-operation and is meant to boost the business volume between East Africa and us," she said. Mr Gichiri Ndua, KPA corporate services manager and International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) vice president, said Malaysia provided appropriate technology necessary for Mombasa's development. "It is advisable to aim higher but still go for appropriate technology. What we are witnessing today (signing of the MOU) is the right way to go," Ndua said. He added that Kenya was borrowing heavily from Malaysia on its ambitious 2030 growth plan. The MoU with Port Klang will boost KPA's 25-year master plan developed last year and enable Mombasa port to eventually realise its vision of being rated among 20 ports in the world by the year 2010. The deal comes at a time when KPA is faced with the challenge of dredging Mombasa port to accommodate larger vessels. Apart from Port Klang, Malaysia also has Penang Port, Johor Port, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Kuantan Port, Kemaman Port and Bintulu Port which are run by private operators under the supervision of port authorities. The Malaysian government's policy on ports focuses on the provision of ample capacity in ports to ensure that there is no congestion. The policy also focuses on load centering. This means that Port Klang has been made the national load centre and the regional transshipment hub. Port Klang has developed a super infrastructure for free trade zone that mainly facilitates commercial activities within the port similar to those at Jabal Ali in Dubai, hence increasing cargo volumes. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by KPA chairman General (Rtd) Joseph Kibwana, Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) director general Mrs Nancy Karigithu and representatives of the maritime industry. Between 2004 and 2005, Mwaruwa observed, exports to Malaysia through Mombasa port increased by 69 per cent from 9,920 metric tonnes to 16,000 metric tonnes. "Interestingly, the exports for this year - between January and October - registered a drastic growth likely to double last year's," Mwaruwa said. The ports chief said there has been drastic increase in imports from Malaysia between January and October this year to 130,403 metric tonnes. Imports from Malaysia have been enhanced following the recent opening of a modern vegetable oil handling facility operated by Gulf Stream Limited at Mombasa port, Mwaruwa explained. Imports from Malaysia through Mombasa port include palm and vegetable oils, sugar, salt, iron and steel, plastic, clothing, fertilizer, vehicles, rice and chemicals. Exports to the Asian country comprise fish, coffee, tea, cotton, sodium carbonate, cement, tobacco and cocoa beans. Phang said her country has successfully privatised its six ports and developed a multi-million dollar free trade zone at Port Klang which has increased cargo volumes. She said Mombasa port would benefit from sharing with the developed Malaysian ports but cautioned that privatisation should be given time. © 2006 The East African Standard.
Kenya, Malaysia in joint maritime venture
Nairobi - The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and its Malaysian counterpart, the Port Klang Authority of Malaysia, have agreed to enter into joint ventures of ports studies, staff training, exchange of information and exploring ways of improving trade, and traffic services between the two ports. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed here Tuesday between the two organizations also agreed on the exchange of information pertaining to feasibility studies of all port related projects like dredging, environment and pollution control. During the signing ceremony by KPA Boss, Abdalla Mwarua and the Port Klang Authority of Malaysia General Manager, Datin Paduka Phang, the two parties agreed to take “practical efforts” to enhance mutual cooperation through exchange of training of personnel so as to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the two ports. The MOU between the two parties will also cover port planning, information technology, environmental safety and operation of terminals. Other areas to be covered include organisation of Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) in the port, marine operations- navigational port safety, safe channels and development of port infrastructure. The MOU also specifies that the two port facilities may exchange information on statistical data, cargo handling and ship movement, ship owners' policies and information on the ship agents using the ports. The two ports will also exchange technical assistance in matters relating to improvement and facilities. Speaking during the signing of the MOU, Mwarua announced that the KPA plans the development of a pilot free-trade zone within the port. KPA would also finance the construction of a cruise passenger terminal and the development of a second commercial seaport in response to global trends. Mwarua was happy that Kenyan exports to Malaysia through the port of Mombasa increased from 9,920 metric tonnes in 2004 to 16,000 metric tonnes in 2005, a trend projected to increase in the coming years. © Global Africa Network (AFRICAST).
Langkawi MMEA not equipped with logistics, says Kedah MB
Alor Star - The rescue mission to save passengers from two ill-fated ferries which collided with each other off Payar island last Friday was hampered as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in Langkawi is not equipped with the logistics. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said MMEA which started operation in Langkawi on July 13 had yet to be provided with the facilities although it had the manpower to carry out rescue operations. "I'm suggesting MMEA to provide rescue equipments in Langkawi to enable it to be prepared for any eventualities," he said after chairing the Kedah Action Council meeting here Thursday. Members of the council were given briefings by officials from the Peninsular Malaysia Marine Department, Marine Police and MMEA whose functions are carrying out rescue missions, and empowered to make arrests, investigate and take legal actions on cases at sea. He said initial investigations showed bad weather and faulty radar were the main causes of the mishap at 4.45 pm which claimed the life of a boy and injured 10 passengers. Mahdzir said he had suggested the formation of a state level committee to coordinate enforcement of the agencies on ferries plying between the mainland to Langkawi.
Malaysia ranks 20th most important maritime nation
Malaysia has dropped two places to 20th most important maritime nation in the world in the Review of Maritime Transport 2006 survey carried out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Malaysia, which was ranked 18th most important maritime nation in the 2005 Review, was overtaken by Turkey and Iran which took the 18th and 19th position respectively. According to UNCTAD, Malaysia owns 325 vessels above 1,000 gross registered tonnage with total combined 9.63 million deadweight tonnes (DWT) as of January 1 2006. This is made up 1.06 per cent of the total world merchant fleet, which stood at 960 million DWT on January 1 2006. The shrinking of the Malaysian fleet, which led to the drop in ranking, was attributed to the sale of ships by local shipowners seeking to capitalise on unprecedented high ship prices. The market condition in 2004/5 offered ideal opportunity to shipowners worldwide to sell off their assets, including vessels that were ageing or had to meet nearing deadlines of new ship conventions and rules, particularly for tankers and dry bulk carriers. Topping the list of the world's most important maritime nation was Japan. Japanese fleet size totalled 3,091 ships with a combined 131.70 million DWT and made up 14.52 per cent of the global fleet during the period. Japan was followed by Germany, China, the US, Norway, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. Singapore, which offers open registry to non-national residents, overtook the UK's position to rank as the ninth important maritime nation. The world merchant fleet stood at 960 million DWT on January 1 2006. The 2006 global fleet growth represents a 7.2 per cent increase over the start of 2005, at which time the world fleet has expanded by 4.5 per cent over the tonnage in 2004. The growth rate, according to the UNCTAD report, was the highest since the beginning of 1989, when the world merchant fleet started to expand after the contraction of the 1980s. Newbuilding deliveries represented 70.5 million DWT while 6.3 million DWT were broken up and lost. The result was a net gain of 64.2 million DWT in 2005. The tonnage of oil tankers increased by 5.4 per cent while bulk carriers by 7.9 per cent. These two types of ships represented 72.9 per cent of total tonnage, a slight decrease from 73.3 per cent in 2004. The fleet of general cargo ships increased by 4.5 per cent in 2005, reversing the trend of previous years; this category now represents 10 per cent of the total world fleet. In terms of deadweight tonnage, the fleet of containership increased by 13 million DWT, or 13.3 per cent, and now represents 11.6 per cent of the total world fleet. The growth rate reflects the increasingly prominent share of manufactured goods being traded in containers. The deadweight tonnage of liquid gas carriers mainly LPG and LNG continued to increase for another year and at good rate while that of ferries/passenger ships did so at the modest rate of 1.1 per cent. © The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.
Malaysia, Indonesia urged to ratify pact to fight sea piracy
Kyodo - The Japanese chief of an intergovernmental anti-piracy center in Singapore expressed hope Wednesday that Malaysia and Indonesia will join multilateral efforts to combat piracy in the Strait of Malacca by ratifying a pact initiated by Japan.
Yoshiaki Ito, the first executive director of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Center, said he plans to establish dialogue with the two countries and urge them to ratify the pact, known as the "Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia" or ReCAAP. Although Malaysia and Indonesia were among 16 Asian nations that launched the pact in 2004, they have not ratified it. The two countries are apparently concerned that the pact could infringe on their sovereignty over the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest waterways. The strait is sandwiched between Malaysia, Indonesia's Sumatra Island, and to a small extent, Singapore. Being the main littoral states, the participation of Malaysia and Indonesia is considered vital for the efficacy and success of the pact. "Indonesia and Malaysia are quite important, they are key players in this Malacca and Singapore Strait," Ito told reporters at the launch of the new center. "Definitely we would like and I hope that these two countries will join in. I will try to build trust between this program and the two nations." The 14 members of the center's Governing Council, which is now holding its first annual meeting, also called on Malaysia and Indonesia to join the pact. "The governors agreed that the center should seek to cooperate with all ReCAAP member countries," said a statement issued by the council on Wednesday. "For this purpose, the governors hoped that all original ReCAAP member countries who have yet to sign and ratify the agreement would do so as soon as possible, to collectively address the issue of piracy and armed robbery in the region." The council is made up of one representative each from the 14 member countries that have ratified the pact and they are mainly from maritime, naval or coast guard agencies. Ito said he hopes to establish dialogue with the relevant agencies in Malaysia and Indonesia. Ito, who is currently working as a diplomat at Japan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, is expected to move to Singapore for his new post early next year. He was chosen for the post Tuesday by members of the Governing Council. The center is expected to encourage exchange of information among agencies in the 14 countries that are involved in tackling piracy, communications and operational cooperation, the council's statement said. It will have a website that can be assessed by the public and is expected to issue monthly, quarterly and yearly statistical reports and analysis of the piracy situation in the region. Officials said they expect the center to complement the London-based International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur. The center aims to improve responses to pirate attacks, conduct critical analysis on piracy in Asia and support capacity building including providing training for member countries, the statement said. The cost of running the center will mainly be borne by Singapore. Japan is the second largest contributor. The 14 countries that have ratified the pact and are represented at the Governing Council meeting are Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh and China. The pact was first proposed by then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2001. © 2005 Kyodo News.
MISC plans for further LNG expansion
Johor Baru - MISC, which operates the world’s biggest LNG fleet, plans to increase fleet size to 29 by 2009, it was revealed at the launch of its 22nd vessel - Seri Anggun - yesterday. South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries, which has a tie-up with repair specialist and MISC subsidiary Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE), has built the 145,000mł vessel. This is the third of a series of five vessels. The remaining two are scheduled to be delivered next year. The shipyard, located in Pasir Gudang in Johor province close to Singapore, will be investing in upgrading its LNG repair capabilities, MISC chairman Hassan Marican said. The collaboration with Samsung Heavy Industries could eventually involve technology transfer related to cryogenic systems, Marican told Fairplay. MISC is a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas entity Petronas. © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Limited 1999 - 2006.
RI, Australia to curb illegal fishing by Ika Krismantari
Jakarta - Indonesia and Australia joined forces Wednesday to promote greater cooperation in combating illegal fishing and promote responsible fishing in the Asia Pacific region. The two nations called on 12 countries attending a regional meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday to discuss effective methods of reducing fishing overcapacity and combating illegal fishing in order to secure sustainable fish stocks in the South China Sea, Celebes Sea and Arafuru Sea. The 12 countries are Brunei Darussalam, China, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Japan, Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea. Indonesia's representative, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, said that responsible fishing at the regional level was essential to securing sustainable global fish stocks. Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that in 2004, only 23 percent of global fish stocks remained unexploited, while the rest were being overexploited. "Much of the illegal fishing is done by international crime syndicates and not by traditional fishermen. This means that these criminals are stealing from the many small communities on our coastlines that depend on fish for their livelihoods," Freddy said. Of the 150 million tons of fish caught around the world annually, 44 million tons are illegally caught, according to figures provided by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry. In Indonesia, of a total catch of approximately 6.4 million tons last year, the country lost about 1.5 million tons due to illegal fishing. Freddy said that the problem should be made a regional issue as it was also in other countries' interests to preserve their maritime resources. As well as discussing the prevention of overfishing and illegal fishing, the meeting, which was attended by senior officials from 14 countries, also discussed how scientific management methods could be applied so as to conserve fish stocks. Commenting on the meeting, Australian Ambassador Bill Farmer said that Australia and Indonesia were already working together to fight against illegal fishing. He expressed the hope that this partnership might serve as a good model for regional cooperation. The Australian government gave Indonesia a US$72 million grant Monday to develop its small-scale fishing industry and upgrade maritime security. Australia also agreed to conduct joint operations with Indonesia to monitor their shared borders so as to minimize illegal fishing. "We hope that we can develop such cooperation with other countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and China," Farmer said. To meet the need for greater cooperation at the regional level, the meeting also discussed an assessment of capacity-building and knowledge-exchange needs in the region, and the development and implementation of a regional monitoring, control and surveillance network to facilitate data exchange and information-sharing. The two-day meeting is a precursor to the regional ministerial meeting scheduled for next year. © 2006 The Jakarta Post.
The Spratlys resurface by Federico Bordonaro
Seven nations press their claims to a nondescript string of reefs and islets in the South China Sea. In late October and early November, Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) tried to re-launch friendly talks related to the territorial disputes of the Spratly Islands, a series of specks that from their location at the southern end of the South China Sea remain crucial to the region's geostrategic setting. They discussed broad Southeast Asian security issues and opened the way for possibly fruitful, structured diplomatic dialogue. The context, however, remains extremely complicated. For a lackluster string of islets claimed in their entirety by four different nations -- China, Taiwan and Vietnam, and partially by three more -- Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, the contested isles and reefs are a potential catalyst for major interstate conflict. In fact, all traditional geopolitical issues are at work: sovereignty, control of vital hydrocarbons, control of the sea lines of communication and the capability to project power and influence across a broad region. At a time when China is emerging as a political and military as well as economic power whose strategic reach expands and involves new maritime ambitions, the South China Sea issue poses a huge challenge to Washington and its Asian allies. Beijing is adopting a complex policy predicated upon diplomatic openness to enhanced cooperation with Asean and, at the same time, on a self-confident, assertive stance on the South China Sea. Washington believes that Beijing's real goal is to make China the hegemonic power in Southeast Asia and multiply its influence on the global stage. Energy, Trade and Power. Recent media coverage on the Spratlys issue has typically concentrated on the quest for fossil energy resources since natural gas and oil play an increasingly important role in power politics. The reasons for sovereignty claims, however, are in no way limited to the hydrocarbons extraction issue alone. Control of the sea lines of communication, with its effect on energy transport and strategic military advantage, is at least as important as the much wanted oil and gas reserves. In Asian maritime geopolitics, the South China Sea functions as a vital gateway that links the Gulf's oil to East Asia via the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Although during the recent decades of the Cold War the sometimes-aggressive Chinese policy toward Southeast Asian states was tolerated by Washington because of China's role as a counterweight to the USSR, after 1991 this state of affairs changed. Certain figures display the importance of the Spratly Islands as a transport route: the South China Sea is the world's second busiest international sea lane and conveys roughly one-fourth of the globe's crude oil and oil products. Tokyo's tankers carry around 70 percent of Japan's oil on these sea lanes, while 90 percent of the oil needed by Washington's northeast Asian allies reaches its destination through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Liquefied natural gas, coal, and iron ore are conveyed through the above mentioned route. The waters are also the site of a massive fishing industry. A country that would have the capability to interrupt the free navigation of the sea lines would pose a significant threat to the other powers' energy security. As for hydrocarbons in the Spratlys, the exact amount of available resources is not easy to determine, since China's analyses are significantly different and more optimistic than U.S. and European ones. A September 2003 brief issued by the U.S. Department of Energy suggests that oil production levels for the Spratly Islands would not exceed 183,000 barrels per day, while Chinese estimates claim that a level of 1.9 million barrels per day could be attained. According to other Chinese reports, the Spratly Islands should have around 225 billion barrels of hydrocarbons -- 70 percent of which would be natural gas. No Western analysis, however, confirms such data at the moment. Regardless, without a doubt further exploration of the Spratlys is considered to be a major stake by all regional claimants and control over hydrocarbons will remain a crucial goal for all powers involved. Multilateralism and its Interpretations. One of the most interesting developments in the debate is undoubtedly the different use and perception of multilateralism. As a matter of fact, all players are calling for multilateral engagement and cooperation to prevent the conflicting interests from leading to a clash. On October 29, before the start of the China-Asean meeting in Nanning, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that "regional security issues, aside from trade," would take center stage in Asean’s political-strategic dialogue with China. Mentioning the Spratlys, Arroyo added that "instead of concentrating on conflicting claims," regional powers should "concentrate on what we can do together." Speaking at the Nanchang University the same day, she launched the proposal of a "joint exploration of the Spratly Islands," and expressed the view that the current "code of conduct" on the contested territories is "very weak." For Manila, just like for Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur, multilateralism and a regional security approach is the best possible strategy to contain China's rising military power. Since Beijing is aiming at enhancing its deep blue navy, other regional players (among which Taiwan is the one that fears Beijing the most) wager on continued U.S. involvement in the region and Asean's enhancement. On the contrary, China's approach to Asean and regional multilateralism appears that of a rising hegemonic power. Beijing's interests lie in avoiding major confrontations and, above all, direct confrontation with Washington in order to continue its relatively flawless pursuit of power. China's openness to strategic dialogue with Asean has the goal of lowering the risk of military conflict while gaining time to calmly, but steadily, develop its new military power. In other words, China's waiting game is consistent with hegemonic ambitions, but it uses the tactics of progressively achieving strategic dominance and thus enhancing its negotiating capability and effectiveness. Multilateralism could enable Washington to remain a decisive player in the Southeast Asian theater while avoiding the perils of automatic defense engagement via bilateral agreements. The United States, however, will work consistently to prevent China's domination of the South China Sea and Beijing's potential capability to choke freedom of navigation. As expected, when U.S. President George W. Bush met with Asean leaders in Hanoi this month, he insisted -- consistently with the American tradition -- on the importance of free trade and economic liberty in Southeast Asia. Clearly, China's persisting claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, coupled with Beijing's ambitious military improvement, will hardly be seen as reassuring by Asean members and by Washington. On the other hand, the Sino-U.S. competition is not deterministically bound to lead to a showdown in the region, as it could instead end up in a new balance of power in which regional multilateral agreements may help Washington and Beijing solve or freeze the Spratlys issue and similar controversies. Asean's role in the future of diplomatic attempts to resolve the Spratlys question appears to be increasing. The organization, however, will probably function as a tool in the hands of the great powers rather than as an autonomous power center. China's rise as Southeast Asia's main regional power will continue in the coming years. Since Washington needs to protect US vital interests such as the liberty of navigation and regional stability, the US will likely be called to a new and comprehensive engagement policy toward Beijing, which can be implemented if the reality of a new multipolar power configuration in Asia is acknowledged. © 2006 AsiaSentinel.com.
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