ASIAN SHIPOWNERS’ FORUM
10 Anson Road
#28-01A, International Plaza,
Singapore 079903
Tel: (65) 6325 4737 Fax: (65) 6325 4451
General Email: information@asf.com.sg
Website: www.asianshipowners.org__________________________________________________________
24 May 2011
Bali, Indonesia

PRESS RELEASE

Asian Shipowners express impatience, anger andfrustration at the ever-increasing number of attacks onships and seafarers by Somali pirates.
“Somali Piracy and ship hijackings have become rampant since thecollapse of Somalia’s central government more than 20 years ago. It is
now time to take effective action and eradicate piracy” declared Mr.
Johnson W. Sutjipto, Chairman of the 20th ASF.
The Forum expressed grave concern that the waters off the coast ofSomalia have grown increasingly treacherous as hijackings, kidnappingsand extortion have proliferated over the past several years, forcing someshipowners to employ armed guards to ensure the safety of their ships
and crews.
“It is essential, however”, added Mr. Robert A. Ho, the acting Chairmanof the Ship Insurance and Liability Committee, “that the various liabilities,potentially incurred through the carriage of private armed guards on aship in an attempt to protect its seafarers, are defined. These liabilities
should not fall on the master of the ship or the owner, who may have noother option but to consider the employment of armed guards because
Governments are unable or unwilling to provide the appropriate security.”“Pirates were once confined to the waters of the Gulf of Aden and off theHorn of Africa, but with each success, they have grown ever more daringand extended their area of operation. It is high time for all governments,
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the United Nations and the International Maritime Organisation to cometogether and put an end to these criminal activities! We cannot tolerate
nor allow this to continue any longer,” said Mr. S. S. Teo, Chairman of
the Safe Navigation and Environment Committee.
Mr. Yasumi Kudo, Chairman of the Shipping Economics Review
Committee emphasised that, “Pirates have apparently concluded that therewards of hijackings far outweigh the risk of capture and punishment.
The cost of organised piracy to global trade, estimated to be 7 to12
billion US dollars per annum1, is simply unsustainable.”
It is reported2 that at 23 May 2011, 26 ships and 522 seafarers werebeing held hostage off the coast of Somalia, some for extremely lengthy
periods. Mr. Li Shanmin, Chairman of the Seafarers Committee,
remarked “In recent months there has been an escalation in violence
including the murder and torture of seafarers. The psychological impact
on seafarers and their families, due to seafarers travelling through thehigh risk area, is not something to be taken lightly.”
ASF wholeheartedly agreed to participate in the SaveOurSeafarers(SOS) Campaign, which is aimed at raising public awareness of thepiracy problem with the overall objective of increasing governments’
willingness to eradicate piracy.
The ASF furthermore is concerned about the lack of respect for
seafarers shown by some governments. This lack of respect manifests
itself in both the unfair treatment given to seafarers following a maritime
accident, particularly if it involves the environment, as well as thedifficulties that seafarers face in trying to obtain shore leave in many
parts of the world.
“It is clear”, said Mr. Ho, “that seafarers are being judged before trial by
the environmental or economic damage that has been caused. Normal
and internationally accepted standards are that the seafarer should bepresumed innocent before being proven guilty and criminal sanctions
should only be used in case of proven gross negligence, deliberate acts
or intent.”
Mr. Li added, “Seafarers are now being denied shore leave, and are
unable to join or leave ships, in many parts of the world due to overly
complex and impossible visa requirements.” One example discussed by
the Forum was the Schengen Borders Code and the Visa Code of thePage 2 of 4

European Union, which, despite clear guidelines issued by theCommission, are not being implemented consistently in a manner thatfacilitates the movement of seafarers: the essential global workers.
On another note, Asian shipowners, as major players in the global
shipping industry, recognise the important role they can play inpromoting safer and more environmentally sound ship recycling.
Mr. Bronson Hsieh, Chairman of the Ship Recycling Committee,
remarked, “Guidelines for the implementation of the Hong Kong
International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound
Recycling of Ships 2009 are now being developed by the IMO Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).” He added, “Five countries,France, Netherlands, Italy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Turkey, havesigned the Convention as of March 2011, therefore the governments ofmajor ship recycling countries should start considering ratification of theConvention.”
Mr. Kudo added his view that “Carriers continue to experience risingbunker costs in the Trans-Pacific container trade in difficult marketconditions. The failure of carriers to adequately recover costs in thistrade should be of concern to the entire trading community. Over time,
this situation could impact the ability of carriers to make the continued
investments needed to carry ever growing trade volumes.”
With regards to the proposed changes to accounting standards onleases under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), theForum made its position clear that time-charter contracts should not be
accounted as leases.
Deepest sympathies were expressed by ASF Delegates for victims of theGreat East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. With regards to theradiation emissions from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Koji
Miyahara, the President of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association,emphasised “We request parties concerned not to take any action basedon groundless rumours, but on complete and rational assessment ofofficial and accurate information released by such authorities as theJapanese government and the IMO, in order to minimize the disruption tothe restoration work in Japan and ensure smooth operations in ourshipping industry”.

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Mr. Noel Hart, Chairman of Australian Shipowners Association, hasbeen elected as the Chairman of the 21st ASF. Mr. S. Hajara, Presidentof Indian National Shipowners’ Association, has been elected as theVice-Chairman of the 21st ASF. Their terms of office shall begin from 25
May 2011 until the next ASF Annual General Meeting in 2012.
1.
2.

‘The Economic Cost of Piracy’, Oceans Beyond Piracy.
ICC IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.

*****For further information, please contact Yuichi Sonoda, Secretary General of the Asian Shipowners’
Forum, at the contact address shown in the header. Please also visit ASF’s website
www.asianshipowners.org.

Notes
The Asian Shipowners’ Forum (ASF) is a voluntary organisation of shipowner associations and its aim
is to promote the interests of the Asian shipping industry. It is estimated that the ASF represents
about 50% of the world's cargo carrying fleet.
The ASF consists of the following 8 members:
Australian Shipowners Association
China Shipowners’ Association
Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations*
Hong Kong Shipowners Association
Indian National Shipowners’ Association
Japanese Shipowners’ Association
Korea Shipowners’ Association
National Association of Chinese Shipowners

(ASA)
(CSA)
(FASA)(HKSOA)(INSA)(JSA)(KSA)(NACS)*FASA is composed of:Filipino Shipowners’ Association
Indonesian National Shipowners’ Association
Malaysian Shipowners’ Association
Myanmar Five Star Line
Singapore Shipping Association
Thai Shipowners’ Association
Vietnam Shipowners’ Association(FASA-FSA)(FASA-INSA)(FASA-MASA)(FASA-MFSL)(FASA-SSA)(FASA-TSA)(FASA-VSA)

Between the ASF AGMs, the ongoing work is carried out by the five Standing Committees;
Seafarers Committee(SC)
Shipping Economics Review Committee(SERC)
Ship Insurance and Liability Committee(SILC)
Safe Navigation and Environment Committee(SNEC)
Ship Recycling Committee(SRC)-----Page 4 of 4