June 23, 2008 - Malacca Straits, Industry Press Release

Press Release - for immediate release June 16th, 2008

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA AND SINGAPORE

The Nippon Foundation (NF) and the Round Table of international shipping associations (RTisa) (BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO & INTERTANKO) are pleased to announce a symposium in Kuala Lumpur on 24 November 2008 to discuss current positive developments in support of safety and protection of the marine environment in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (the Littoral States), having been consulted on the objectives of the event by the organisers, have welcomed the concept and have undertaken to assist with advice on the scope of the event and with speakers.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has also expressed support for the concept of the symposium, as a means to build further on various initiatives related to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, such as the Littoral States' Co-operative Mechanism and the IMO's Marine Electronic Highway project.
Amongst the straits used for international navigation (as defined by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)), the Straits of Malacca and Singapore rank as the busiest with transiting ships carrying around one third of the world’s oil supplies and half of world trade. The pressures of maintaining safety and protecting the natural marine environment of the Littoral States of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are enormous.
The NF and RTisa reaffirm that safety and environmental protection of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore must be assured to enjoy sustainable utilisation of the seas and sustainable development of the world economy. Appreciation is expressed for the considerable effort of the Littoral States, including the establishment of the Aids to Navigation fund, at a meeting held in April 2008 in Malaysia. The RTisa particularly welcomes the generous NF contribution of an initial sum of US$M 1.351 to this fund representing the cost of the baseline survey on which the future maintenance programme will be based.
The Nippon Foundation announced last year its decision to contribute to the Aids to Navigation Fund which was proposed last year by the Littoral States and the IMO. At the IMO meeting in Singapore in September 2007, the Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Mr Yohei Sasakawa, agreed to contribute up to a third of the cost of the new fund for the first five years.
The 24 November symposium will explain the significance of the Straits in terms of global trade and benefit to the global community and why the Straits should remain safe, secure and open to navigation. It will outline measures already in progress under the Littoral States’ Co-operative Mechanism as well making proposals on possible new areas for study and corporate social responsibility impacts on user states and on all stakeholders in the industry.
Subjects to be covered will include:
• The background, history and global significance of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore
• The legal background on safety and environmental protection in straits used for international navigation, in accordance with UNCLOS
• The development by the Littoral States of the Co-operative Mechanism
• The role of user states and of industry in support of the Co-operative Mechanism
• Future developments in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore
• Corporate social responsibility
Speakers will include experts in the various subjects, drawn from governments, industry and academia.
The symposium will be of value to all those with an interest in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore including shipowners and operators, all stakeholders in the carriage of cargo through the Straits, and representatives of user state governments. The NF and RTisa are convinced that the symposium will attract a wide range of industry stakeholders interested in voluntary cooperation within the Co-operative Mechanism. The RTisa encourages members of its constituent bodies to attend.
Further details of the symposium and reception, together with registration forms, will be made available shortly, but meanwhile all those with an interest in these important topics are invited to reserve the date in their diary.



For more details, please contact:
BIMCO
Peter Grube, Head of Sales, Marketing and PR
E-mail: pg@bimco.org
Tel. +45 44 366800

INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF SHIPPING (ICS)
Simon Bennett, Secretary
E-mail: simon.bennett@marisec.org
Tel. + 44 20 7417 2857

INTERCARGO
Rob Lomas, Manager, Corporate Affairs and External Communications
E-mail: rob.lomas@intercargo.org
Tel. + 44 20 7977 7036

INTERTANKO
Bill Box, Communications and Public Relations Manager
E-mail: bill.box@intertanko.com
Tel. + 44 20 7977 7023

NIPPON FOUNDATION
Mitsuyuki Unno, Chief Manager, Maritime Safety Team
E-mail: m_unno@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp



EDITOR’S NOTES follow on:
Straits of Malacca and Singapore– facts and figures
Round Table
The Nippon Foundation
IMO
UNCLOS
Littoral States
Co-operative Mechanism


EDITOR’S NOTES:
Straits of Malacca and Singapore– facts and figures




Passing Ships
(2004) Number of ships per year

(Number of ships per day)
93,755

(257)
(Lloyd's data >100GT)

Tonnage
(per year) 2,764 million
(Gross Tonnage)

Passing Cargo
(2002) Volume of Crude Oil (per day)
(IEA figures) 11 million barrels
Source: LMIU and Nippon Foundation
Malacca transits are made by ships carrying:
- 20% of World Seaborne Trade
- 30% of Global Seaborne Crude Oil
- 55% of Global Shipping Capacity
More than 94,000 ships pass through the Straits every year, amounting to almost 4 billion tonnes dwt. That is an average of 257 ships every day. In ten years from the mid 1994 this figure grew from 75,000 vessels (+25%) and from 2.5bn dwt (+60%). This figure can only grow year on year as a reflection of the continuous growth in world trade.
Further facts and figures on the Malacca Straits may be taken from a presentation made by Japan’s Maritime Bureau. This can be obtained by clicking here
Round Table
The Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) is an informal grouping of: shipping industry associations whose mission is to work together to serve, represent and advance the international shipping industry, with a vision of .a responsible and respected international shipping industry meeting the expectations of its stakeholders. By acting in concert to avoid duplication on issues of consensus, the combined effort of the Round Table can exceed the sum of the individual efforts.
RT members are: BIMCO, ICS/ISF (International Chamber of Shipping/International Shipping Federation), INTERCARGO (International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners), INTERTANKO (International Association of Independent Tanker Owners).
The Nippon Foundation
The Nippon Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation established in 1962. The Foundation’s overall objectives include assistance for humanitarian activities, both at home and abroad, and global maritime development. Its philanthropic ideals embrace social development and self-sufficiency, and it pursues these principles by working to improve public health and education, alleviate poverty, eliminate hunger and help the disabled.

IMO
The International Maritime Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations with 167 Member States and three Associate Members, and based in the United Kingdom with around 300 international staff.
The IMO's main task has been to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security, and the efficiency of shipping.
The IMO's specialised committees and sub-committees are the focus for the technical work to update existing legislation or develop and adopt new regulations, with meetings attended by maritime experts from Member Governments, together with those from interested intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.

UNCLOS
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international agreement governing all aspects of ocean space, such as delimitation, environmental control, marine scientific research, economic and commercial activities, transfer of technology and the settlement of disputes relating to ocean matters.. It was signed on December 10, 1982 after 14 years of negotiations to which more than 150 countries representing all regions of the world participated. The Convention entered into force on November 16, 1994. As of today the Convention is ratified by 155 States.

Littoral States
The Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Singapore

Co-operative Mechanism
The Co-operative Mechanism was conceived by the three Littoral States following a number of IMO events on safety, security and environmental protection in the straits of Malacca and Singapore. It is an opportunity for mutual cooperation and for encouraging user state and industry support through discussion and various projects. Projects include but are not limited to replacement of aids to navigation damaged by the tsunami, a complete survey of aids to navigation and wreck surveys and wreck removal

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