EU Fisheries Policy Not Working, Needs Review

PlanetArk 18 Sep 08;

BRUSSELS - EU regulators on Wednesday called for a full-scale review of EU fisheries policy, saying current rules were doing little to curb overfishing, quota busting and other illegal fishing practices.

EU fisheries policy was last reformed in 2002 and is due for review by 2012 at the latest. While much had improved since 2002 -- much stricter controls on illegal fishing, for example -- there were many shortcomings, the European Commission said.

Short-term decision-making coupled with irresponsible behaviour by certain parts of the fishing industryin the European Union had penalised those fishermen acting for the common good, it said.

The result was a vicious circle that undermined both the ecological balance of the oceans and the economic profitability of the fisheries sector, it said in a statement.

Many species -- cod and hake, for example -- are depleted in certain EU waters due to years of chronic overfishing, exacerbated by poor controls and fines that, until recently, were not set high enough to deter lawbreakers.

"In its current form, the CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) does not encourage responsible behaviour by either fishermen or politicians," EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said.

"The management tools we use reward narrow-minded, short-term decision-making, which has now undermined the sustainability of our fisheries," he said in the statement.

In May, the Commission signalled all was not well in the fisheries sector when it issued a policy statement changing the basis for calculating its proposed fish catch volumes for 2009 and said 88 percent of EU fish stocks were overexploited.

That huge number compared with 80 percent at the same stage last year and a global average of just 25 percent, it said. The stocks situation was "alarming" and bold action was needed.

Europe's share of fish products from domestic resources had also fallen from 75 percent in the early 1970s to 40 percent now as it depended more and more on imports, it said.

Scientists say that unless fishing is curbed, or in some cases stopped altogether, many species in EU waters risk extinction. Cod is a prime example, especially in the North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland.

But the Commission usually shies from proposing outright fishing bans or a "zero catch", fearful of the economic impact it would have on small coastal communities that depend on fishing for their livelihood.

In any case, if the Commission does suggest quota cuts, they usually get diluted down by EU ministers who have to agree the final numbers before the next year's quotas enter into force. (Editing by Sami Aboudi)


Story by Jeremy Smith

EU urges action on fishing fleet's overcapacity
Yahoo News 17 Sep 08;

Europe must tackle the chronic overcapacity of its fishing fleet, which can haul two to three times more fish than the seas can produce in a sustainable way, the European Commission said Wednesday.

Urging a sweeping review of the European Union's fishing policy, the EU's executive arm said that Europe needed to prepare for a major shake-up of its fisheries policy, with fleet overcapacity at the top of the list of problems.

The current form of the common fisheries policy "does not encourage responsible behaviour by either fishermen or politicians," said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.

"The management tools we use reward narrow-minded, short-term decision-making, which has now undermined the sustainability of our fisheries," he added.

Borg did not say by how much he thought the European fishing fleet should be reduced, although he told AFP recently that a cut of 40 percent might be necessary.

Last year, some 88,000 fishing boats were operating out of the EU. The number has been declining steadily in recent years, falling from 97,600 in 1999, according to figures from the commission.

A 2002 reform of the EU's fishing policy aimed to cut overcapacity, but the commission said it did not go far enough and that new measures were now needed.

Long sounding the alarm about overcapacity in Europe's fishing industry, the commission said that "at present, the fleet is capable of catching between two and three times the maximum sustainable yield."

Eager to protect stocks, the commission has drawn fire from fishermen recently for banning industrial tuna fishing during the peak of the season in June.

The commission said that any overhaul of the EU's fisheries would have to be designed so that protecting fish stocks would be placed before protecting fishermen's jobs.

It said that "fishermen must be made responsible and accountable for the sustainable use of a public resource."

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US government says salmon disaster money on its way

Matthew Daly, Associated Press Yahoo News 18 Sep 08;

The Bush administration on Wednesday released $100 million in disaster relief to West Coast salmon fishermen, $70 million less than the amount Congress approved to help those hurt by the sudden collapse of the Pacific Coast salmon fishing industry.

The salmon collapse left thousands of fishermen and dependent businesses struggling to make ends meet, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said, adding that the disaster aid package will help them get back on their feet.

Of the initial $100 million, about $63 million will go to California, $25 million to Oregon and $12 million to Washington state, officials said. The breakdown is based on the projected economic impacts of the fishing shutdown in each state.

The failure stemmed from the sudden collapse of the chinook salmon run in California's Sacramento River, where the salmon return to spawn. Scientists are studying the causes of the collapse, with possible factors ranging from ocean conditions and habitat destruction to dam operations and agricultural pollution.

Salmon advocates and congressional Democrats complained that the Bush administration was shortchanging fishermen in the three states by $70 million. Congress approved $170 million in disaster relief as part of a recent farm bill.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., accused the Bush administration of "trying to steal money from salmon fishermen to give it to an incompetent defense contractor" that is overseeing the 2010 Census.

The Bush administration announced in June that it wants to divert $70 million from the salmon relief fund to help pay for higher-than-expected costs of the conducting the census. The Commerce Department oversees the Census Bureau and NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for salmon recovery and planning.

Bob Lohn, northwest administrator of NOAA Fisheries, said the salmon money was not being diverted, but merely delayed until the new budget year begins in October.

Over the next few months, the remaining money will be made available to fishermen as they apply for assistance, Lohn said. He denied that the administration was engaged in any accounting tricks or attempts to shortchange fishermen.

"Will the money be there when the people apply for it? The answer is yes," he told reporters on a conference call Wednesday.

A total of 4,229 applications for assistance have been sent out to ocean fishermen, processors, wholesalers and charter boat owners in the three states, said Randy Fisher, executive director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is administering the salmon payments.

Roughly half the requests for assistance are in California, one-third from Oregon and about 15 percent from Washington, Fisher said.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said fishermen up and down the West Coast "have been economically harmed. They were caught in a disaster, Congress responded and the Bush administration has once again failed the American public."

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Hot year damages carbon uptake by plants

Yahoo News 17 Sep 08;

Plant and soil can take up to two years to recover from an exceptionally hot year, a finding that has implications for the combat against global warming, according to research published on Wednesday.

The recovery lag could cause a rethink about the ability of grasslands and soil to act as a sponge, also known as a "sink," that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, its authors said.

In an unusual experiment, scientists in Nevada carved out plots of grassland in central Oklahoma, each measuring more than 2.4 metres (7.8 feet) long, 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) wide and 1.8 metres (5.85 feet) deep, with their plant communities and soil left intact.

These miniature ecosystems were then installed in four container-sized labs in which light, darkness, temperature and rainfall could be carefully replicated and levels of CO2 monitored.

Over the next four years, two of the four chambers were programmed to reproduce the weather conditions of the original site, previously determined by a seven-year monitoring of that location.

The other two chambers, though, were exposed to a sudden rise in temperature during the second year of the experiment -- a hike of four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

"We wanted to create an extreme year and look at how the ecosystem recovered from it," said Jay Arnone, a professor at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nevada, told AFP.

"Basically, we dosed it with heat one year, then we removed the heat and asked, 'how long do the effects that occurred in that year persist, and which processes are affected?'"

Arnone's team found that during this anomalously warm year and the year that followed, the two plots sucked up two-thirds less carbon than the plots that had been exposed to normal temperatures.

Carbon capture comes from plant growth, through synthesis, and from micro-organisms that break down carbon in the soil.

The hike of 4 C (7.2 C) is at the far end of core estimates made last year by the UN expert group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for the average worldwide warming this century.

But such an increase is most likely to be gradual or in smaller hikes, not the dramatic year-on-year rise increase replicated by Arnone's team.

Arnone said the 4 C increase was based on between eight and 11 exceptionally warm years in the weather records, spanning from 1873 to 1999, where the plots had been dug up. These warm years were between 1.0 and 3.8 C (1.8 and 6.9 F) higher than the region's long-term average, but were not accompanied by drought.

The findings are important because they point to the impacts of extensive heatwaves on grasslands and forests that together account for 20 percent of Earth's land surface, said Arnone.

They also throw in a new factor for calculating the value of natural sinks, which play a critical role in offsetting man-made greenhouse gases.

Hot years or prolonged heatwaves, according to the IPCC, are likelier to become more frequent under climate change.

In such a scenario, sinks will be less able to soak up CO2. In turn, the CO2 that is not absorbed will remain in the atmosphere rather than be sequestered in the ground, thus accelerating the greenhouse effect.

In scientists' parlance, this is a "positive feedback," or a vicious circle likely to amplify climate damage.

The study is published by Nature, the British-based science journal.

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How Food Labels Could Power the Future

Michael Schirber, LiveScience.com Yahoo News 17 Sep 08;

Editor's Note: Each Wednesday LiveScience examines the viability of emerging energy technologies - the power of the future.

Food labels generally alert us to the unhealthy bits in the food we eat. Now, supermarkets around the world are expanding the approach by adding labels that warn of the environmentally unhealthy bits in the food we buy.

Many consumers are already familiar with energy efficiency ratings on dishwashers and light bulbs, so it is not that surprising to see the trend reaching down grocery aisles.

"There's savings to be found for every product," said Euan Murray of the Carbon Trust in London.

The Carbon Trust is a non-profit organization started by the UK government to help companies reduce their carbon footprints. Over the past three years, Carbon Trust has been partnering with a supermarket chain and a number of food providers to develop carbon-reduction labels.

Instead of saying how much trans fat or sugar is in each serving, these little stickers reveal the quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that went into the making, packaging, transporting and (eventually) disposing of a given product.

"It helps to get consumers engaged and improves their literacy on these topics," Murray told LiveScience.

Carbon burger

The environmental impact of food is a topic on a lot of people's minds lately.

Earlier this year, Rajendra Pachauri, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recommended giving up meat for one day a week.

"In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity," Pachauri, a vegetarian, told The Observer newspaper in Britain.

A 2006 U.N. report estimated that livestock farming accounts for 18 percent of the world's GHG emissions. This is more than the output from transportation, which accounts for 13 percent.

One explanation for this is the higher warming effect of certain agriculture emissions. Fertilizers release nitrous oxide (296 times more potent than CO2), and animal digestion by-products are major sources of methane (23 times more potent than CO2).

What can all this add up to? Writer and futurist Jamais Cascio, on his Web site "Open the Future," has estimated the total carbon footprint of a single cheeseburger to be roughly 4,350 grams of greenhouse gases. This is the equivalent emissions of driving about 10 miles in an average car.

Add together all the cheeseburgers and other meat products that the average American eats in a year, and this is like driving an extra 8,000 miles compared to a strictly vegetarian diet, according to a recent report by Carnegie Mellon University researchers.

Apples vs. oranges

Although everyone might agree that the environmental impact of broccoli is less than a burger, there are some choices that are not so easy.

For instance, a lot of focus has been on food miles, i.e. the distance that a product travels to the store. However, the same Carnegie Mellon report showed that distribution accounts for only 1 percent of the GHG emissions for red meat, and 11 percent for fruits and vegetables.

"So much conventional wisdom is out there, but a lot of it is wrong," Murray said.

This can complicate one's decision between a locally grown apple and an orange shipped in from 1,000 miles away.

"You can fit a lot of oranges in a container ship," Murray observed.

And speaking of oranges, some people might be surprised to hear that freshly squeezed orange juice in a carton has a bigger carbon footprint (360 grams of GHG emissions per 250 milliliter serving) than juice from concentrate (260 grams).

Labels can help consumers sort out all the various factors in a carbon footprint.

Coming to a supermarket near you

Participation in the Carbon Trust's labeling scheme - as well as in a proposed program in California - is purely voluntary. Murray thinks mandatory labels may not be necessary, since consumers themselves are asking for carbon labels.

"Companies are waking up to the idea that this is good business," he said.

And not just in the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, a French supermarket chain announced that it would include footprint labels on some of its products, and the Carbon Trust is also in negotiations with undisclosed companies in the United States.

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Global ban on toxic marine paint: a milestone reached

Tributyltin canned
WWF 17 Sep 08;

A milestone in the protection of the oceans was reached today as a global ban on tributyltin (TBT) - one of the most toxic chemicals deliberately released into the sea - entered into force.

The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Antifouling Systems for Ships obliges its signatories to ensure that no vessels using TBT-containing paint go under their flag or call at their ports.

“TBT belongs not in the sea but in the poison cupboard, and this agreement will help put it firmly back there,” says Stephan Lutter, International Policy Officer with WWF Germany.

But take-up of the agreement has been slow, with many of the large shipping states having yet to sign and implement the agreement into their national legislation. Whereas WWF is applauding the commitment of the 34 states that have ratified the agreement so far, the conservation organisation urges all 168 member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to join.

TBT is an organic additive often used in marine antifouling paints, as it swiftly kills organisms such as barnacles, algae and mussels which naturally attach themselves to hard surfaces, including on the sides of ships, thus ensuring their smooth passage through the water and reducing fuel consumption.

The problem is that TBT leaks out from the paint and into the surrounding water, affecting marine life and seeping into the food chain.

Heard of sea snails changing sex, or oysters seeing their hard shell going all soft and mushy? These are but two known adverse TBT effects on marine species. The decline of commercially harvested oysters along the Atlantic coast of France and the UK has been attributed to TBT contamination. TBT has also been found far from shipping lanes in albatrosses, whales and fish.

But we have probably only begun to see the long term effects of TBT on marine ecosystems, as the poison is stored in sediment and re-enters the food chain when the sea bottom is stirred up by passing vessels in ports and shallow areas.

WWF has been lobbying for the ban of TBT for more than a decade. At the end of the 1990’s, WWF, together with some leading shipping companies and paint manufacturers, initiated the 2003 Group, whose members voluntarily banned the use of TBT on their vessels and develop toxics-free alternatives.

Scandinavian Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) banned the use of TBT in hull paint on all vessels in 2000.

“There are better alternatives which balance the need for antifouling with environmental stewardship. It is our responsibility to use them,” says Melanie Moore, WWL’s Global Head of Environment.

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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Sep 08

Counting (on) snails and tigers for conservation
on the Raffles Museum News blog

Singapore and rising sea levels discussed in parliament
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Tuas with TeamSeagrass of Schering Plough
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Raptors attracted to wet waste disposal
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Crap spider
droppings may be something else on the annotated budak blog

Going to Peru
Representing Singapore at an APEC youth camp on water issues, on the midnight monkey monitor

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Sea levels may rise: But Singapore's okay

The ozone hole is closing, but this could cause Antartica to become warmer due to weekened polar winds. This may lead to sea ice melting and sea levels rising. TEH JEN LEE reports

Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 17 Sep 08;

THE Greenland ice sheet may be thousands of miles away, but the rate at which it's melting was a point of concern in Parliament yesterday.

Also in question was how much rise in sea level will Singapore experience as a result of global warming.

MP Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC) got the ball rolling by asking about the measures to protect Singapore's coastline and avoid major catastrophes in view of rising sea levels.

MP Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) then raised the question of whether the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had assessed recent findings that the Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than expected and what impact this would have here.

Minister Yaacob Ibrahim answered both MPs by first stating that the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected last year that climate change could lead to sea level rises of between 18cm and 59cm by the year 2100.

This does not factor in the rapid melting of Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets, as the understanding of these effects is too limited.

Scientists are now working to better understand and project the rate at which the ice sheets may melt, as well as the resulting effects.

Mr Yaacob said: 'As a relatively low-lying, densely populated island in the tropics, Singapore is vulnerable to climate change effects like sea level rises, which can lead to inland flooding.

'However, as a result of our environmental and developmental planning in the past, we already have existing measures in place that significantly reduce our exposure to the risks.'

More than 1m allowance

Since 1991, all new reclamation projects have to be built to a level 125cm above the highest recorded tide level.

This is 66cm more than the IPCC's projected highest sea level rise of 59cm by the end of the 21stcentury in the worst-case scenario.

He said: 'Singapore is, as such, well prepared for any further increases in sea level arising from climate change within the range of over one metre.'

Fewer flood-prone areas

Singapore's development of drainage infrastructure over the last 30 years has reduced flood-prone areas from 3,200 ha in the '70s to 98ha today.

PUB will reduce it to less than 48 ha by 2011 through the development and improvement of drainage infrastructure, such as the widening and deepening of drains and canals.

While the objective of this is to reduce the flood-prone areas and alleviate flooding today, a better drainage system helps to reduce the possibility of upstream flooding when heavy rain coincides with high tide or sea level rise.

Better flood alleviation

The completion of the Marina Barrage project has also enhanced Singapore's flood-alleviation capabilities.

In addition, the National Environment Agency, in consultation with other government agencies, commissioned a two-year study last year to understand the specific implications of climate change in Singapore, based on the IPCC studies.

These include sea level and temperature changes, flooding and coastal erosion. The study is expected to be completed next year.

Mr Yaacob said: 'It will help us better understand how Singapore will be affected and what needs to be done to protect Singapore and ensure that we are able to adapt to these impacts.

'We also continue to monitor closely the developments in scientific understanding of the melting of ice sheets and its impact.

'Our study will give us modelling capability to factor in any new scientific findings to assess the localised effects on Singapore. This information will help in reviewing the adequacy of existing adaptation measures and whether further enhancements are needed.'

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Government to review scope and implementation of new water projects

Channel NewsAsia 16 Sep 08;

SINGAPORE: The Government will review the scope and implementation of yet-to-be launched projects under the Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters programme in view of escalating construction costs.

The ABC Waters programme aims to transform drains, canals and reservoirs into recreational water bodies.

Six more projects are in the pipeline with tenders to be called by the end of this financial year.

These projects are at Pandan Reservoir, Jurong Lake, Alexandra Canal, Sungei Whampoa at St George's Lane, Sungei Serangoon at Lorong Halus and Sungei Kallang at Bishan Park.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said two recently launched projects at Sungei Punggol and Lower Seletar have seen construction costs going up by between 15 and 20 per cent on average, based on tender returns.

Giving an update on the programme in response to a Parliamentary question from Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak, Mr Yaacob said the government is mitigating the increasing construction costs in various ways.

For example, the PUB is exploring the use of innovative products and new technology to reduce construction and maintenance costs. The agency will explore the use of concrete recycled from redevelopment works for the Bishan Park project.

At the detailed planning stage, PUB and its consultants will review the scope and design of each project to optimise spending while meeting the community's needs.- CNA/yb

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Marina Bay all set to sparkle

Plans for two promenades unveiled which will complete waterfront loop, linking bay attractions
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 17 Sep 08;

PLANS for the last two links of the Marina Bay chain have been laid down, completing a 3.5km waterfront loop joining up the necklace of attractions in the bay area.

They are:

An 800m water-misted stretch along Bayfront, adjacent to Bayfront Avenue.

A 400m shady walk through pavilions under large solar-powered fans along Marina Boulevard.
The links were announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday.

The uninterrupted waterfront promenade designed by Australian architects Cox Group in collaboration with local firm Architects 61, will cost $35 million to build.

When ready around the end of next year, visitors will be able to walk a loop linking the Merlion Park, Esplanade Theatres, the ArtScience museum and integrated resort (IR), Marina Bay Financial Centre and The Fullerton Heritage.

Ultimately, the plan is to create a vibrant waterfront area, drawing visitors to shop, eat, play or simply take in the view of the bay from any spot on the promenade.

The Bayfront stretch will be a two-tier promenade with a granite-paved upper-level and a lower-level timber boardwalk to allow visitors to go right down to the water's edge.

The main attraction is a 300m-long stainless steel tube-like structure, which can be as high as 10m, equipped with audio speakers, night-lighting and spray misters to bring temperatures down a notch.

The promenade will widen at the southern corner of the Bay into an open space with water features such as dancing water jets. Next to that will be a visitor centre showing developments in the area, a cafe and an information booth.

The lively, pumping ambience of the Bayfront stretch will give way to a shadier, more tranquil gander along Marina Boulevard.

There, visitors can rest their feet and sit on the seawall among flowering shrubs and shady trees, and be cooled by solar-powered fans.

The announcement for the final two links has come 18 months after URA unveiled its plans for the first, a double-helix bridge linking the IR site with the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel. The Flyer opened officially in March, and the bridge will be up around the end of next year.

Said URA's chief planner Koh-Lim Wen Gin: 'These constructions help us to take full advantage of the waterfront. It allows people to enjoy this reservoir in the heart of our city and allows lots of events to take place next to and on the water.'

The URA is now calling for tenders for the promenades' construction.

The Marina Bay loop will be part of a longer 11.7km waterfront route around the Marina Reservoir, linking the Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Barrage and the new Sports Hub. These are in the midst of construction.

The designer, renowned Australian architect Philip Cox, hailed the Marina Bay area as the 'new focus of the city' and a way for Singapore to become 'the most successful maritime city in the world'.

He said: 'Every part of Singapore offers a different experience. This one will lead to a

refocus, a shift of the centre of the city to this area and away from Orchard Road.'

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A celebration of all things nautical

Maritime Week in S'pore next month offers shipping community a network opportunity
David Hughes, Business Times 17 Sep 08;

IT is difficult to pin down just what makes a successful maritime hub. Certainly, we are talking about more than just being a busy port. In the sense of being an important port with a vast range of related business activities going on, Singapore has always ticked the box. Indeed, it owes its very existence to its port.

And port activity here is still going from strength to strength, as evidenced by the fact that arrivals exceeded one billion gross tons in August - a month ahead of last year.

Partly, perhaps, being a maritime hub is about being a significant maritime nation. Again, that is a difficult concept to define. But one yardstick has to be the size of the national fleet. Singapore's fleet is among the 10 largest worldwide. And increasingly, the decisions about how these vessels operate, who insures them and where they will be drydocked are being taking here.

Another sign of a thriving shipping hub is the general 'buzz' - how much is going on with a maritime connection. Does the place feel like a maritime centre?

Surrounded by massive anchorages, cheek by jowl with huge container terminals, shipyards only just out of sight and shipping offices almost everywhere, Singapore certainly feels like a maritime centre, even its river is no longer full of cargo-laden tongkang.

In a month or so, the maritime side of Singapore will be even more prominent - it will be Maritime Week.

Overseen by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), this gathering of the international maritime community for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events is intended to be celebration of all things nautical.

MPA says the range of activities and events organised by itself, industry and research and education institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan atmosphere and profile of the participants, will reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

Certainly, the formula seems to be working. Singapore Maritime Week has grown in size and significance since the inaugural event in 2006, attracting more participants and event organisers.

The third Singapore Maritime Week will takes place from Oct 10-19. Main events include the Second Singapore Maritime Lecture, to be delivered by International Maritime Organisation secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos, and the Singapore International Bunkering Conference 2008, which is expected to attract more than 800 participants.

But there is a lot more going on. Bringing together industry-leading speakers from around the globe, The Future of Ship Registers conference will, it is hoped, provide an ideal networking forum for top executives involved in all aspects of ship registration.

The two-day conference will focus on key regulatory issues affecting flags, such as the ILO convention, the IMO model audit scheme, how the EU directive on class will affect owners, what owners expect from flags and want changed, LRIT and its impact on flag states, clarification of the new ship surveying regulations in China, developments on illegal fishing and reefers, and environmental issues involving Marpol and compliance.

However, an awful lot of other things will happen during International Maritime Week, including several substantial conferences that are sure to attract the attention of the international shipping community.

The Singapore Maritime Academy is running its 8th Maritime Technology Conference and Exhibition, while Marine Money is organising its 7th Annual Marine Money Asia-Week.

Other big events include the Sea- trade Sustainability Seminar, the 4th International Conference and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management and the 3rd International Ship Management Summit.

Even that line-up does not include the many supporting events planned, several of which are intended to increase public awareness in all things maritime. Full details of what is planned can be found on the Web at http://www.mpa.gov.sg/calendar_events/smw2008.htm.

Singapore now has an annual event that is unique with an very wide range of activities taking place. Together they will turn it into one gigantic shipping network opportunity, for a week.

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Condos to have recycling facilities

Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times 17 Sep 08;

RESIDENTS of condominiums and private apartments can look forward to recycling facilities in their compound.

That follows a new law passed yesterday giving the Director-General of Public Health powers to require owners or occupiers of any premises to provide recycling facilities, such as bins or bags, on their grounds.

The change to the Environment Public Health Act will come into effect on Nov 1.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said it covers only condominiums and private apartments.

It is necessary because only 38 per cent of the 150,000 households in condominiums and private apartments islandwide now have access to recycling facilities on their estate grounds.

In comparison, residents in HDB flats and landed private properties, comprising 87 per cent of households here, have easy access to recycling facilities, including centralised recycling bins.

One key reason is that condominiums and private apartments, as strata-titled properties, are free to appoint their own waste collectors and decide if these collectors are to provide recycling services.

Despite efforts by the National Environment Agency (NEA) since 2002 to encourage management councils and managing agents to set up recycling facilities, the take-up rate has been low.

But many residents in these properties want recycling facilities on site.

Dr Yaacob pointed out that an increasing number of them have approached the NEA for such facilities.

The Government's target, under the Singapore Green Plan 2012, is to raise the recycling rate from the current 54 per cent to 60 per cent by 2012.

The NEA will notify condominiums and private apartments about the new requirements, starting with those that have more than 50 units. Upon being told, they will have six months to comply.

Offenders, if convicted, will face a fine of not more than $5,000, which may be compounded.

Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Marine Parade GRC), assistant professor at National University of Singapore's Department of Real Estate, supported the amendment, saying it was a right step in Singapore's development as a first-world society.

He said: 'It will ensure that creating a green and sustainable environment will be inculcated as part of our lifestyle.'

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Tray return system to be revived at some hawker centres

Let’s tr(a)y it again ...
Alicia Wong and Jessica Teo, Today Online 17 Sep 08;

WHEN it was first tried out at a hawker centre in 2003, it was dropped after six months because Singaporeans preferred having someone else clean up after them.

But soon, the tray return system could make a reappearance at some hawker centres here.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Kindness Movement are looking to reintroduce the scheme to encourage considerate behaviour, revealed Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Environment and Water Resources) Amy Khor yesterday in Parliament.

Speaking to Today, she said they hope to run it at perhaps Zion Riverside food centre or Bedok food centre by the end of this year.

“The idea is to use the learning points to see how we can further introduce the system at other centres,” she added.

She told Parliament that the 2003 trial at Zion Road failed because patrons preferred having cleaners to clear their trays. She told Today that patrons also indicated there were not enough tray racks.

So, this time round, the NEA will provide more racks at convenient locations and more officers during the first few weeks of implementation, to remind patrons to clear up.

The NEA will also provide posters, signs and table-top decals, as it did previously.

While providing adequate facilities is important, it would not be possible at some centres due to space constraints, said Dr Khor. But if the system is introduced to all hawker centres, “we will as far as possible work around the physical limitations”.

Student Yane Lee, 18, agreed with the need for more convenient counters. “If there are 1,000 people in the food court, I’m not walking all the way back to return my tray,” she said.

Dr Khor, however, stressed that Singaporeans must also want to change and desire a more gracious society: “We are under no illusions it will happen overnight.”

To a concern raised by one MP, Dr Khor gave the assurance that older workers would still be needed to ensure the tables are clean, even if the system is established.

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