Asian Shipowners Forum
Safe Navigation & Environment Committee (SNEC)
c/o Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations(FASA)
59 Tras Street, Singapore 078998
Tel: (65) 62225238 Fax: (65) 622225527
email: fasa@pacific.net.sg

Date: Friday, 16 September 2011

For Immediate Release
Asian Shipowners urge UN to take new and bold anti-piracy measures
At the 21st Interim Meeting of the Asian Shipowners’ Forum (ASF) Safe Navigation &Environment Committee (SNEC) held in Singapore on 16 September 2011, theCommittee again expressed their anger and frustration at the ever-increasing threatof piracy and ship hijacks, particularly in the Somali Basin, Arabian Sea and in theWest Indian Ocean. The Meeting also criticised the United Nations (UN) andgovernments for the lack of urgency and political will to suppress this growing
problem.
The Committee expressed concern that, despite the presence of military and navalforces, Somali pirates attacked 163 ships, hijacked 21 of them and took 361
seafarers hostage so far in 2011. Based on UKMTO’s report as at 9 September
2011, 11 merchant vessels with 271 seafarers remain captive under deplorable
conditions in Somalia.
“Not only are these dangerous Somali pirates free to roam the Indian Ocean at will
attacking and hijacking ships, they have not spared ships anchored in sovereignwaters. Also, Somali pirates may serve as a strong inspiration for criminals in otherstates,” said Mr. Patrick Phoon, SNEC Chairman.
“The safety and welfare of our seafarers and their families must remain of utmost
importance. Discounting the economic cost of anywhere between US$3.5 and US$8
billion a year, we cannot ignore the lasting physical and psychological trauma
suffered by our seafarers at the hands of these merciless outlaws.”
The Committee agreed that the time has come to implement bold measures. In theabsence of concrete policy to address the root problem of Somali piracy, theCommittee strongly supports the Round Table of International Shipowners
Associations’ (RTisa) call urging the UN to establish an Anti – Piracy Military Task
Force consisting of Armed Military Guards that can be deployed in small
detachments onboard merchant ships to protect them during their transits throughthose treacherous waters. It urges the UN and all governments to adopt a strong
political will and take decisive actions to resolve this problem expeditiously.

The Committee reiterates that, as a bare minimum, ship owners and managers mustcomply with BMP 4. The Committee further recognises that BMP 4 alone will notguarantee that a vessel is safe from being pirated.
Whilst ship owners and managers are doing their utmost to protect their seafarers
and ships, the Committee stressed that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring safetyof navigation on the high seas should rest with Flag States and all governments.
The Committee further urged individual Flag States to offer clear and concise
guidelines on the use of privately contracted armed security providers which havebeen duly vetted and accredited by the Flag State in question.
“We emphasise that Governments must have the political will to firmly address thispressing problem”, said Mr. Phoon. “The situation as it stands is unsustainable, andplaces a very serious financial burden on the shipping industry. If the situation fails
to improve, soaring transportation costs will have a detrimental effect on alreadyfragile regional and global economies.
The Committee remains committed to environmentally friendly shipping.
It welcomes the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) recent adoption of
mandatory measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) frominternational shipping.
The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI Regulations, which make mandatory theEnergy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships, and the Ship Energy Efficiency
Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships are pragmatic and goal-based which
adhere to the IMO’s principles of no more favourable treatment. The Committee
hopes that the implementation of these IMO energy efficiency design standards will
discourage any individual or regional group of countries from introducing unilateralmeasures to curb GHG emission from international shipping.

******

Hosted by the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), the 21st Interim Meeting of theSNEC was attended by representatives of shipowners’ associations from India,
Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’
Associations (FASA) as represented by the shipowners’ associations of Indonesia,Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Mr. Patrick Phoon, President of SSA chaired the SNEC meeting on behalf of FASA.
During the meeting, the Committee also considered and discussed other issues ofconcern relating to the safe navigation of ships and the protection of the marine
environment.

For any further questions, please contact:
Mr. Daniel Tan,
Secretary
ASF Safe Navigation & Environment Committee
Tel: (65) 62225238
Email: fasa@pacific.net.sg

Editor's note:
The Asian Shipowners’ Forum is a voluntary organization of the shipownerassociations of Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea
and the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations comprising shipping
associations of ASEAN countries. The aims of the ASF are to promote the interestsof the Asian shipowning industries. Between annual ASF meetings, the ongoingwork is carried out by the five Standing Committees; the Shipping Economics
Review Committee, the Seafarers Committee, the Ship Recycling Committee, theSafe Navigation and Environment Committee, and the Ship Insurance and Liability
Committee. It has been estimated that ASF owners and managers control andoperate nearly 50% of the world's cargo carrying fleet.