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

31 March 2021, Tokyo

MEETING SUMMARYofthe 33rd Interim Meeting of the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA)
Shipping Policy Committee (SPC)

The 33rd Interim Meeting of ASA SPC was held online on 31 March 2021 due to precautionary
measures against COVID-19. The meeting was participated in by 31 delegates from ASA
member associations of ASEAN, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, as per theparticipants list attached. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 10:30 am JST.
ASA SPC members were reminded of the importance of full compliance with all applicablecompetition laws throughout the entire programme and the meeting was conducted with counsel
present, as in previous meetings.
The outline of the meeting is as follows:
Before starting the discussion, with regard to the incident of M/V Ever Given in the Suez Canal,
which was successfully refloated on 29 March, Mr Takashi Nakashima, Chairman of ASA SPC
expressed his profound gratitude to the Suez Canal Authority and all those who had tirelessly
worked for the difficult restoration within a week and hoped that the operation of one of theworld’s most critical waterways would be normalised very soon.
1. Ongoing impact of COVID-19 on Shipping Industry
Various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as an unexpected surge in demand in thecontainer volume and the ongoing crew change crisis, were discussed. Delegates noted
concerns expressed by governments, shipper groups, and others regarding the global
congestion issues that have occurred during the pandemic period. Delegates expressed theirdetermination to work with other supply chain stakeholders and continue to make theirrespective best efforts to mitigate the current supply chain congestion observed in the container
trade. As for the crew issue, the Committee noted that although the number has been halved
from the worst period last year, 200,000 seafarers were still affected by the crew change crisis,
and welcomed the joint call by the UN agencies such as IMO, ILO and WHO issued on 25
March to prioritise seafarers for COVID-19 vaccination.

-1-2. Developments of International Maritime Policy
Broad policy issues such as recent developments in the WTO, protectionist measures taken byIndonesia, the US, and potentially Russia, and the modification of the Panama Canal’s booking
system were discussed. Delegates reaffirmed the critical importance of the resumption of fullmaritime negotiations under the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services in order to copewith any protectionist developments, especially at a time when the introduction of a newprotectionist policy might be sought in the name of a response to COVID-19. In this connection,
Mr Helio Vicente, Senior Advisor (Policy) of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS),
introduced the ICS Study on Protectionism in Maritime Economics* published in February 2021,and its conclusion that all countries gain from the reduction of maritime protectionism regardlessof their level of economic development was strongly endorsed by Delegates.
With regard to the hike of booking fees and other charges at the Panama Canal, which are to be
implemented on 15 April, the Committee urged that the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) provide
a longer prior notice period and concrete reasons for the fee increase. These actions wereabsolutely necessary so that carriers could obtain understanding and a sense of reliability fromshippers. Moreover, a further dialogue with the ACP was called for.
* Please see the following website concerning the detail:https://www.ics-shipping.org/current-issue/protectionism-in-maritime-economies-study/

3. Anti-trust Immunity and US Maritime Regulation
The latest developments concerning the review of the current anti-trust immunity system in a
number of jurisdictions including Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and Singapore werereported by Mr Jeffrey Lawrence, Chair of Transportation and Trade at Cozen O’Connor and theSPC’s legal counsel. Delegates reconfirmed 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 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 Lawrence also made a presentation on developments regarding US maritime regulations
under the new Biden administration and Delegates agreed to keep watching the developingsituation.
4. Anti-Corruption Issue
Ms Cecilia Müller Torbrand, Executive Director of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN)
delivered a special lecture concerning the activities of MACN, including its incident reporting
system. Delegates greatly appreciated her first-time participation in the SPC meeting andechoed 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 thisissue as a standing item at the SPC.
There being no further business, the meeting concluded at 13:00.
***
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.
-2-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

31 March 2021

The 33rd Interim Meeting ofthe ASA Shipping Policy Committee (SPC)
via Online on 31 March 2021

Participants List
CHAIRMAN< Japanese Shipowners’ Association >Mr Takashi Nakashima

Vice President, Japanese Shipowners’ Association

MEMBERS< Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Association >< FASA-Indonesia >Mr Djoni Sutji(Vice Chairman, FASA-Indonesia,President Director, PT Indonesia Bulk Carrier)< FASA-Malaysia >Mr James Ong Khoon Seng
Mr Adam Azman(EXCO, Liner Services Representative, AML Shipping Sdn Bhd)
(FASA- Malaysia)< FASA-Singapore >Ms Katie Men(Vice President, FASA- Singapore,
Managing Director, Iseaco Investment Pte Ltd)< FASA-Thailand >Mr Chanet Phenjati(President, Jutha Maritime Public Co., Ltd.)< Hong Kong Shipowners Association >Mr Kenny Ye(Chief Operating Officer, Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd.)
Captain Gautam Ramaswamy (Regulatory Affairs Director, Hong Kong Shipowners Association)

< Japanese Shipowners’ Association >Mr Keiji Tomoda
Mr Daisuke Fujihashi
Mr Hiroki Harada
Mr Yoshinari Goto

(Associate Director, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.)(Project Manager, Corporate Planning Division,Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.)(Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer,Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha)(Deputy General Manager, Corporate Planning Group,Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha)< Korea Shipowners’ Association >Mr Jin Ki Park
Mr Kyong Hoon KIM(Chief Container Business Officer / Senior Executive Vice President,HMM)(General Manager, Korea Shipowners' Association)< National Association of Chinese Shipowners >Mr Y.I. Chang
Mr Patrick Tu
Mr C. K. Ong
Mr Randy Chen

(Chairman, Evergreen Marine Corp.)(President & COO, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.)(President, U-Ming Marine Transport Corp.)(Vice-Chairman, Wan Hai Lines Ltd.)< Associate Member>

Mr Olivier Straub
Ms Charmaine Uson

(Chief Government Affairs Officer, MSC)
(Sales Executive, Waypoint Port Services)

GUEST SPEAKER
Ms Cecilia Müller Torbrand(Executive Director, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network)

ICS SECRETARIATMr Helio Vicente(Senior Adviser (Policy), International Chamber of Shipping)

ASA SECRETARIATMr Yuichi Sonoda
Mr Dylan Ow(Secretary General, Asian Shipowners’ Association)(Technical Manager, Asian Shipowners’ Association)

LEGAL COUNSELMr Jeffrey Lawrence(Attorney, Cozen O’Connor)

OBSERVER
Mr Kenneth Chia
Mr Mun Wei Jun
Ms Ang Shi En(Managing Director, Asia, World Shipping Council)(Senior Manager, World Shipping Council)(Senior Executive, World Shipping Council)

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