Opening Remarks by Mr Jeffrey Siow, Minister for Transport at the 17th Co-Operation Forum

Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

Colleagues and friends from Malaysia, Indonesia, fellow maritime nations, and the International Maritime Organization,

1.           Welcome to Singapore, and to the 17th Cooperation Forum.

a.           Since 2007, this Forum has brought together stakeholders interested in the safety of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

b.           These include the littoral states that abut the Straits, as well as those with interests in the global seaborne trade that passes through these waters.

c.           I am told we have a record turnout today. More than 125 countries and organisations are represented at the forum.

d.           This shows how salient the issue of safe navigation has become.

Cooperation in SOMS

2.           For over two thousand years, merchants have used the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as the shortest sea route between India and China.

a.           And this was despite the Straits not being the easiest of waters to navigate. The narrowest point of the Straits is less than two nautical miles wide.

b.           From the early 1970s, the rise of container shipping brought more, and larger, vessels into these waters.

c.           Operating in narrow and increasingly crowded waters created risks that each of the littoral states – Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – could neither ignore, nor resolve on their own.

d.           So the three countries came together to design practical measures, such as common navigational frameworks and joint hydrographic surveys, to manage the emerging problem.

e.           This was before the establishment of modern global maritime frameworks, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

3.           An early incident proved the value of this cooperation. In 1975, the Japanese vessel Showa Maru ran aground near Pulau Sebarok, spilling more than 3,300 tonnes of crude oil into the sea.

a.           It was the worst oil spill in the Straits at the time. But the three countries were able to mount a swift clean-up that limited the environmental damage.

4.           Thereafter, we asked ourselves how can we prevent the next incident?

a.           Emboldened by our early success, collaboration built on cooperation, and new measures were designed and implemented.

b.           Our technical experts worked together to organise traffic into clear eastbound and westbound lanes. Traffic rules such as speed limits and designated merging zones were also introduced.

Institutionalised user state involvement

5.           The cooperation that anchored the management of the Straits also included several other partners.

a.           Japan is a key contributor. Since the 1960s, it has provided technical capabilities to support the three countries in mapping hazards and developing navigational charts.

b.           China, the United States, and partners from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, have also contributed funding and expertise.

6.           In 2007, the Cooperative Mechanism was formalised among all these partners as a platform for regular dialogue, technical cooperation, and voluntary contributions.

Successes of this model

7.           Today, the Cooperative Mechanism stands as the first and only implementation of Article 43 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which calls on countries to cooperate on navigational safety and preventing pollution.

8.           Through the Cooperative Mechanism, countries have turned shared interests into collective action, in three areas.

9.           First, to anticipate risks early. Digital tools and data-sharing are used to improve situational awareness at sea and on shore.

a.           About a decade ago, the littoral states worked with Norway to build a digitally-enabled traffic management system for the Straits.

b.           Advances in artificial intelligence can now help us anticipate traffic hotspots and warn vessels of potential collisions.

10.        Second, to regularly upgrade infrastructure.

a.           There are more than 50 navigational aids that guide ships through the Straits today. These are partly funded by voluntary contributions.

b.           We also recently completed a project to facilitate the deployment of virtual navigational aids, which convey information to ships, when physical aids are under maintenance. 

11.        Third, to respond to incidents collectively. Despite our best efforts, marine accidents will occur from time to time. When they do, rapid and coordinated action can save lives, limit pollution, and keep the waterway open for others.

a.           This year, the littoral states will finalise regional guidelines to strengthen coordination for ships in distress that require a place of refuge. 

b.           In recent years, we have also observed more cargo fires on container ships. And Singapore will be proposing to develop trilateral measures and procedures for responding to such incidents.

12.        All these initiatives are important because they address practical risks, bring together officials, experts and industry partners, and build confidence.

13.        The Straits of Malacca and Singapore is a primary artery for global trade – more than 100,000 vessels carrying almost a quarter of global seaborne trade, and almost a third of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

14.        Events in the Middle East this year reminded the world that open sea lanes can neverbe taken for granted.

a.           Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has now fallen to less than a tenth of pre-conflict levels.

b.           Vessels continue to be attacked there, in spite of UNCLOS, which guarantees the right of transit passage for ships and aircraft.

15.        In our part of the world, we will endeavour to keep the Straits of Malacca and Singapore free, open and safe for international shipping. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are issuing a joint statement later today to reaffirm this shared commitment.

16.        Underpinning the Cooperative Mechanism is an enduring trust between neighbours and partners who recognise that our interests align – a trust that  perhaps is invisible to the naked eye, but invaluable.

Conclusion

17.        Ladies and gentlemen, safe and open waterways are global commons that we must continue to uphold through international law and mutual collaboration.

a.           For more than five decades, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and our partners have collaborated closely, and the result is peace and prosperity.

18.        At a time when geo-strategic conflict and economic competition around the world is intensifying, our experience in these Straits shows that there can be a different way.

19.        I hope that we carry this spirit of collaboration forward – as exemplified in these Straits, but also promulgated in our wider bilateral and multilateral relationships.

20.        With that, it gives me great pleasure to declare the 17th Cooperation Forum open.

21.        Thank you very much.