ASA SPC
ASA Shipping Policy Committee
c/o Japanese Shipowners’ Association
Kaiun-Building, 6-4 Hirakawa-cho 2-chome
Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Japan 102-8603
E-mail : int@jsanet.or.jp
Tel:+81-3-3264-7180 Fax:+81-3-5226-9166

8 September 2022, Singapore

MEETING SUMMARYofthe 35th Interim Meeting of the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA)
Shipping Policy Committee (SPC)
The 35th Interim Meeting of ASA SPC was held in Singapore on 6 September 2022. The
meeting was chaired by Mr Keiji Tomoda, Vice President of the Japanese Shipowners’
Association and attended by 18 delegates from ASA member associations of ASEAN, Chinese
Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea and 14 observers and guests from ASA Associate
Members and related organisations, as per the attendance list attached.
For the entire ASA which had to hold its Annual General Meetings online for three consecutiveyears (2020-2022) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first face-to-face meeting since
the COVID era. The Chairman thanked all participants of the meeting for their physicalattendance, overcoming the travel difficulties, and stressed the importance of the SPC having
just restarted lively actions and raising strong Asian voices from Singapore where the ASA wereheadquartered.
ASA SPC members were firmly committed to ensuring full compliance with all applicablecompetition laws throughout the entire programme under careful guidance from their legal
counsel, as in previous meetings. The outline of the meeting is as follows:
1. Maritime Singapore
At the beginning of the meeting, Ms Tan Beng Tee, Executive Director of the Singapore
Maritime Foundation (SMF), which has wholeheartedly supported ASA activities in Singapore
since 2007, warmly welcomed all participants to the global hub port and maritime gateway toAsia. Her complimentary welcome remarks were followed by a presentation by Mr Kenneth
Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry and Transformation) of the Maritime and Port Authorityof Singapore (MPA), titled “Developing Singapore as a premier global hub port and international
maritime centre”. Attendees greatly appreciated SMF’s long-term support for the ASA to date,reaffirmed its unparalleled role and significance of Singapore for international logistics, andstrongly hoped that Singapore would continue carving out a path to the new era with the ASA
and the international shipping industry.
2. Developments of International Maritime Policy
Broad policy issues concerning the international maritime industry were discussed. Mr Simon-1-

Bennett, Deputy Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Mr Helio
Vicente, Senior Manager (Trade Policy and Employment Affairs) made presentations on ICS’srecent engagements on the issues of GHG, taxation, and other association activities.
Delegates appreciated ICS’s efforts to date and confirmed to deepen relationship between theASA and ICS.
3. Current Situation with the Global Supply Chain
Current difficulties in the global supply chain, which are due, principally, to the COVID-19
pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, and which have lasted much longer than initially expected,were discussed. Although the situation has gradually improved, the meeting attendees notedthat there were still unusual numbers of vessels waiting off the major US ports, recently more on
the Atlantic side due to rerouting, and the Panama Canal, and considerable numbers of theladen and empty containers were stacked for loading at some US ports. Delegates reaffirmed
their firm determination to carry out their tasks as global logistic providers so as to minimise
supply chain disruptions in close cooperation with all stakeholders including port operators,landside transporters, shippers, local governments and the canal authority.
4. Anti-Corruption Issue
Mr Kristian Vandermeer, Director of WaterFront Maritime Services and Group Managing
Director, Ben Line Agencies delivered a special lecture concerning the activities and strategy ofMACN, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network. Delegates greatly appreciated his participation in theSPC meeting and echoed MACN’s activities to eliminate all forms of maritime corruption which
had long been obstacles to fair trade for shipping companies. It was decided that the SPC
would keep this issue as a standing item at the SPC and seek further collaboration with theMACN.
5. Anti-trust Immunity and US Legislative Developments
The latest developments concerning the review of the current anti-trust immunity system forcorporative carrier agreements in a number of jurisdictions were reported by Mr Robert K.
Magovern, Co-Vice Chair of Transportation and Trade at Cozen O’Connor and the SPC’s legalcounsel. Delegates reconfirmed the ASA’s long-standing policy that the anti-trust immunity
system for cooperative carrier shipping agreements was indispensable for the healthy
development of the liner shipping industry and the maintenance of a reliable service to theentire trading community. The Committee commended the ASA for its active support of industry
efforts to maintain anti-trust exemptions for liner shipping agreements and urged continued
activity in this regard.
Mr Magovern also made a presentation on developments regarding recent US legislative
developments such as the implementation of US Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2022(OSRA2022). Delegates agreed to keep watching the developing situation.
6. Canal Issue
With regard to the Suez Canal, a general 6% upward tariff revision in February 2022 andsubsequent introduction of the new surcharges (5-10%) in March 2022 followed by increases ofthe rates (to 7-20%) in May 2022 were reported. As for the Panama Canal, an introduction of-2-

the new tolls system from 2023 which will result in approximately a 10-100% tolls increase,depending on the ship type and size, in three years were reported. Delegates expressed theirconfusion over the substantial toll increases in both canals which supposedly reflected anunprecedented market condition under the COVID-19 pandemic. Delegates shared aperception that such a significant toll hike may not be compatible with the long-termsustainability required for a global infrastructure and confirmed that we should raise our united
voices to adjust the toll levels when the business environment had significantly changed at any
time in the future. In addition, as for the Suez Canal, while a 48-hour prior notice which wasapplied in March 2022 was totally unacceptable, Delegates confirmed that the Suez Canal
Authority’s new policy which allowed a 1.5 month prior notice for the revision of surcharges anda 3-month notice for the tariff revision was not sufficient and would request them to accept aminimum 6-month notice period. Delegates also shared a recognition that it was critical foreach member carrier and association to raise voices, not only concerning the toll issues but also
on efficiency and safety issues in the international associations they belonged to, as well as intheir home countries. The ASA’s further collaboration with other international shipping
associations was also highly recommended.
7. ASA SPC Action Plan
As a new initiative under the SPC chairmanship and the SPC Action Plan towards the next SPC
interim meeting and ASA Annual General Meeting in spring 2023, delegates confirmed that oneof the pillars of the SPC’s future activities was to reinforce activities in Singapore. In thisconnection, Mr Michael Phoon, Secretariat of the ASA Safe Navigation and Environment
Committee (SNEC) based in Singapore, was invited and recent activities in the ASA SNEC
were introduced. Delegates recognised that there were lots of aspects on which the SPC could
jointly work with the SNEC, especially the decarbonisation issue, which inevitably had a huge
impact on the business management of member companies, and it was decided to seek
possible collaboration before the next SPC meeting. Delegates also discussed a more effective
media strategy and the ASA Secretary General was requested to develop the ideas. With
regard to SPC’s respective major agenda items as described above, delegates confirmed thatthey would carefully monitor the developments, and specifically as for the antitrust immunity
issue, it was agreed to file an ASA submission to the European Commission in October 2022 inorder to retain the current exemption system for shipping alliances/consortia.
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the Chairman announced his intention that the next SPC
interim meeting would be held in Singapore in April 2023 if the situation allowed.
***
The ASA Shipping Policy Committee (SPC) is a forum for the members of ASA associations to discuss maritime policy issues such as regulation, taxation, trade
policy, customs, canals, infrastructure and the macro economy, and policy public relations.

-3-ASA SPC
ASA Shipping Policy Committee
c/o Japanese Shipowners’ Association
Kaiun-Building, 6-4 Hirakawa-cho 2-chome
Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Japan 102-8603
E-mail : int@jsanet.or.jp
Tel:+81-3-3264-7180 Fax:+81-3-5226-9166

6 September 2022

The 35th Interim Meeting ofthe ASA Shipping Policy Committee (SPC)
on 6 September 2022

Participants List
CHAIRMAN< Japanese Shipowners’ Association >Mr Keiji Tomoda

Vice President, Japanese Shipowners’ Association

MEMBERS< Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Association >< FASA-Malaysia >Mr James Ong Khoon Seng (Executive Director, Harbour-Link Marine Services Sdn Bhd)
< FASA-Singapore >Ms Caroline Yang
Mr Hiroki Tsujii
Mr Michael Phoon(Chief Executive, Hong Lam Marine Pte Ltd)
(Managing Director, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd.)(Executive Director, FASA-Singapore)< FASA-Vietnam >Mr Tu Duong Ngoc

(General Director, Vinaship Joint Stock Company)< Hong Kong Shipowners Association >Mr Alex Goh(Region Operations Manager, OOCL (Singapore) Pte Ltd.)< Japanese Shipowners’ Association >Mr Hiroki Harada(Representative Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer,Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha)< Korea Shipowners’ Association >Mr Youngsoon Choi
Mr Jonghwa Lee(Senior Vice President, Head of Global Trade Management of HMMCo.,Ltd)(Deputy General Manager, Korea Shipowners' Association)< National Association of Chinese Shipowners >Mr C. K. Ong(President, U-Ming Marine Transport Corp.)

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Ms Lu Su Ling
Mr Nick Chan
Mr Mathieu Kissin
Eng David Miranda Silgado
Mr Velu Ramoo
Ms Celeste Yeo
GUEST SPEAKERS
Mr Kenneth Lim
Ms Tan Beng Tee
Mr Kristian Vandermeer
ICS SECRETARIATMr Simon Bennett
Mr Helio Vicente(Head of Baltic Exchange Asia, Baltic Exchange)(Associate Director, Sales, Asia Pacific, Baltic Exchange)(Managing Director, LISCR (Singapore), Pte. Ltd)
(Person in Charge of Segumar Singapore, Chief of Seafarers
Regional Office Singapore, Panama Maritime Authority)(Country Manager, WAYPOINT PORT SERVICES)(Sales/Commercial Executive, WAYPOINT PORT SERVICES)(Assistant Chief Executive (Industry & Transformation),Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore)(Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Foundation)(Director, WaterFront Maritime Services Group Managing Director,Ben Line Agencies)(Deputy Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping)(Senior Manager (Trade Policy and Employment Affairs), International
Chamber of Shipping)

ASA SECRETARIATMr Yuichi Sonoda
Mr Dylan Ow
Ms Julie Ng(Secretary General, Asian Shipowners’ Association)(Technical Manager, Asian Shipowners’ Association)(PA, Admin Manager, Asian Shipowners’ Association)

LEGAL COUNSELMr Robert Magovern(Attorney, Cozen O’Connor)

OBSERVERS
Ms Bhavani Somu
Ms Choi Yi Fang
Ms Han Jie Hui(Assistant Director (IMC Services Development), MPA)
(Manager (IMC Services Development), MPA)
(Assistant Director, SMF)

SECRETARIATMr Masayuki Ito
Mr Hiroyuki Yamagami
Ms Moe Murakami(General Manager, Planning Division, Japanese Shipowners'
Association)(Deputy General Manager, Planning Division, Japanese Shipowners’
Association)(Assistant Manager, Planning Division, Japanese Shipowners'
Association)------------------------