Friends of the Earth attacks carbon trading

An FoE report says 'cap and trade' carbon markets have done little to reduce emissions but have been plagued by corruption and inefficiency
Ashley Seager, The Guardian 5 Nov 09;

The world's carbon trading markets growing complexity threatens another "sub-prime" style financial crisis that could again destabilise the global economy, campaigners warn today.

In a new report, Friends of the Earth says that to date "cap and trade" carbon markets have done almost nothing to reduce emissions but have been plagued by inefficiency and corruption that render them unfit for purpose.

As the world heads towards the Copenhagen climate summit, Britain and other developed countries want to see carbon trading expanded worldwide. The carbon market, mainly based in Europe, was worth $126bn in 2008 and is predicted to mushroom to $3.1tn by 2020 if a global carbon market takes off.

However, FoE fears that the area has been hijacked by speculators on the financial markets. Sarah-Jayne Clifton, the report's author, said: "The majority of the trade is carried out not between polluting industries and factories covered by carbon trading schemes, but by banks and investors who profit from speculation on the carbon markets – packaging carbon credits into increasingly complex financial products similar to the 'shadow finance' around sub-prime mortgages which triggered the recent economic crash."

The FoE claims that the first phase of the European emissions trading scheme between 2005 and 2007 failed. And the second phase, from 2008-2012, is likely to fail too, it said. FoE is calling on governments to use more reliable instruments such as carbon taxes, which are harder to avoid and can be effective at changing people's behaviour and reducing emissions.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "We agree that domestic action by developed countries as well as public finance is essential to meet the challenge of climate change and … the UK is going all-out to get an ambitious, fair and effective deal.

"But carbon trading can also play a role, making it far more likely that we tackle dangerous climate change, get cost-effective emissions reductions and get money to the poorest countries of the world."

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Is the idea of carbon trading just a lot of hot air?

Carbon trading sounds like a great idea: by putting a price on emissions, it punishes polluters and fosters green technologies. Find out if the reality matches the rhetoric
Felicia Jackson, David Robertson Times Online 5 Nov 09;

THE THEORY
By Felicia Jackson

We know we have to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but why is carbon trading the way to do it?

We have to start placing an economic value on the environment, but we can’t wait for the perfect solution. We need to act now, and that means using the market tools at our disposal to create the most flexible approach.

Changing the behaviour of governments and industry is likely to have a more immediate impact on emissions than encouraging individuals to buy low-carbon products and services. And to make countries and companies cut emissions quickly, we need to put a price on them. Doing so is not just about motivating polluters to reduce emissions; it is also about enabling politicians and bosses to keep track of the costs and benefits of emissions-cutting measures and make long-term investment decisions.

What are the chief advantages of carbon trading?

It imposes a limit on emissions, which shrinks over time. Trading in emissions — technically called “carbon offsets” — also makes sense as greenhouse gases are a global problem: it doesn’t matter where emissions are cut, as long as they come down. The cost of funding projects that result in lower emissions is immense, and we have to find a cost-effective way to manage this transition. Carbon trading fits the bill as it is economically efficient. As quotas get ever tighter, it becomes harder to generate credits and the cost of emissions becomes more onerous.

In that case, why is there so much international disagreement on tackling climate change?

The Kyoto Protocol was the first legally binding international framework to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, enshrining the concept of “common but differentiated responsibilities” for developed and developing nations. It is how these responsibilities should be enshrined in law that is causing disagreement.

The industrialised world has grown rich on the exploitation of the world’s natural resources. Developing countries are aggrieved to be told that they cannot follow the same path because of the threat of climate change. It does not help that, despite not having ratified Kyoto, the US is among countries insisting that the largest developing economies must accept binding emissions targets.

Offsets have been strongly criticised as a means for developed nations to outsource their responsibility for cutting emissions to the developed world. There is clearly a need to help the developing world to deal with the environmental impact of climate change, but there is little agreement on how this should be funded internationally.

So will carbon trading benefit the developing world?

The Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation provisions of the Kyoto Protocol should act to encourage investment in new, clean technologies and, in the case of the CDM, generate flows of global finance and knowhow from rich to poor.

What does the future hold for carbon trading?

It seems almost certain that carbon trading and carbon market mechanisms will remain central. Outside the Kyoto framework, a number of regional schemes have been or are being introduced: the European Union has its ETS, the US has several schemes of its own (with Congress debating legislation that could see the creation of a federally regulated scheme), and Australia and the UK are launching their own national schemes.

THE PRACTICE
By David Robertson

Does carbon trading work?

There are some promising signs. In the EU, for example, emissions from businesses taking part in the ETS fell by just over 3 per cent in 2008 compared with the year before, and this while economic growth was 0.8 per cent over the same period. But despite some positive statistics, carbon trading on the whole does not work.

What has gone wrong?

The defining weakness of emissions trading schemes is that they are set up, run and regulated by governments. When the EU established the ETS in 2005, member governments were desperate to ensure that their national flagships did not suffer. The resulting machinations led to industries being allocated far too many credits — 3.4 per cent more than actual emissions. When this overgenerosity became fully apparent in 2006, the embryonic carbon trading market collapsed. The price of emissions fell from €30 to €10 per tonne of CO2 almost overnight and continued to fall to just a few cents a tonne when the scheme’s first phase ended in 2007.

What is continuing to go wrong in Europe?In an attempt to correct the failings of this first phase, the EU tightened emissions caps for phase II (2008-2012). Unfortunately, it appears that once again too many credits have been allocated, a miscalculation which the global downturn has only made worse. Some industries are now awash with credits and, in a further fudge, are being allowed to bank them for phase III (2013-2020). This will make hitting carbon targets much easier during the next decade. The likely result is a trading scheme that will be largely ineffectual during its first 15 years of operation.

Who pays?

To protect their industries from foreign competitors not subject to the pressures of carbon trading, governments have overallocated credits to some and underallocated to others. Power companies, for example, have received comparatively few credits because consumers cannot easily go elsewhere to buy their energy. This allows power utilities to pass on the cost of buying carbon credits to their customers.

Meanwhile, to cut their emissions quickly, power companies are switching from coal to natural gas, which emits less CO2 than coal for a given power output. This is making Europe heavily reliant on fuel supplies from Russia and the Middle East — with all the geo-political implications that entails.

What needs to change?

The European Union needs to be more aggressive in setting targets and allocating emissions quotas if they are serious about using the ETS as the primary means of changing corporate behaviour.

The power of governments to influence the permit allocation system should be removed (Italy and various Eastern European nations are currently said to be lobbying to weaken phase III emissions targets, for example). A central regulator should determine how permits are distributed to industry to prevent favouritism.

To be truly effective the same system needs to apply in all countries, otherwise emissions trading will always be open to “permit tourism” — companies moving their activities to territories with no trading scheme or an overly generous one.

Companies should not be given all their permits for free. This is a subsidy that creates windfall trading profits if a company emits less than its quota of carbon. 

Conquering Carbon: Carbon Emissions, Carbon Markets and the Consumer, by Felicia Jackson, is published by New Holland Publishers at £9.99

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Philippines Targets $2.5 Billion Geothermal Development

Leonora Walet, PlanetArk 6 Nov 09;

HONG KONG - The Philippine government aims to approve contracts to explore and develop the country's massive geothermal energy resources, which could attract more than $2.5 billion in private investment, an official said.

The Philippines, the world's second-largest developer of geothermal energy, plans to approve 19 deals in the next five months to allow foreign and domestic companies access to geothermal projects, the division chief for geothermal energy at the Philippine Energy Department, Alejandro Oanes, told Reuters.

Philippine power producer Energy Development Corp and Envent, a unit of Geysir Green Energy, one of Iceland's biggest geothermal energy companies, were among groups vying for contracts to tap the country's geothermal resources, he said.

"Incentives for renewable projects are giving (the country's) geothermal development a much needed boost," said Oanes in a telephone interview from Manila.

Tax holidays and tariff exemptions for renewable energy projects are boosting investment in clean energy in the Philippines, with the government recently awarding 87 contracts to develop alternative energy sources.

Geothermal power accounted for 17 percent of the country's total power mix at the end of 2008, with installed capacity close to 2,000 megawatts, energy department data showed.

The government was issuing tenders for the development of 10 geothermal sites and negotiating nine more deals directly with various companies, Oanes said. Combined, the deals could harness more than 620 megawatts of geothermal energy.

Geothermal sites covered in the deals include Mount Isarog, in Camarines Sur province, where about 70 MW of geothermal power could be developed. The government is also looking at resources in Mount Labo, Camarines Norte with a potential capacity of 65 MW.

Other provinces identified with geothermal resources include Benguet, Cagayan, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Surigao del Norte and Laguna.

(Editing by Chris Lewis)

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'Conspiracy of silence' over climate migrants: UN official

Anne Chaon Yahoo News 5 Nov 09;

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – A "conspiracy of silence" is stifling debate over the future of people who become displaced through climate change, a top UN official for refugees says.

In an interview with AFP at the UN climate talks in Barcelona, Jean-Francois Durieux, in charge of climate change at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the question "remains taboo."

Under 1951 UN statutes, the term "refugee" applies specifically to a victim of violence or persecution, who is then entitled to help and asylum in other countries.

But no such status exists for people who are forced from their home by drought, flood, storms and rising sea levels unleashed by man-made global warming.

"There's a conspiracy of silence at the moment," Durieux said.

"The countries of origin (of displaced people) and host countries are not eager, and are even hostile, about opening up the question," he said.

"The reason is because there is no reliable way of estimating how many people could be affected."

The Stern Review, a 2006 assessment on the economics of climate change authored by British economist Sir Nicholas Stern, quoted estimates of as many as 150-200 million "permanently displaced" environmental refugees by mid-century.

An estimate put forward by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) suggests 200 to 250 million by the same date.

One of the problems, though, is that the definitition of a climate refugee is hard to pin down, say experts.

For instance, it may be impossible to say whether a single weather event, or even a string of them -- such as a run of bad harvests -- is part of a natural cycle or inflicted by longer-term human occurrence.

These events can also be amplified by human folly or bad governance, such as allowing people to settle in areas that are vulnerable to water stress, mudslides, hurricanes and so on.

Another complication is that the climate change could be the underlying cause for displacement but its role is masked by conflict or unrest, which are far more visible.

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, is among those who believe the war in Sudan's Darfur is an example where climate change has already driven a badly-stressed region over the brink.

At present, "there is no obligation to accept people fleeing poverty," said Durieux. "Illegal migrants can be expelled."

He said the UNHCR was treading delicately on the subject, both because of the legal complexities of how to define a climate refugee and also because of the repercussions of giving asylum to potentially millions of people.

"Member states do accept an open-ended system of this kind, but only for a small number of people," said Durieux.

"If we try to promote a requirement whereby a state would have to accept (climate refugees) for a long time, we won't get anywhere," he said.

"It could have a boomerang effect, hitting people who are already fleeing persecution and cause the current regime of protection, which is already constantly under threat, to unravel."

The UNHCR hopes to make its own proposals within the next year.

In the meantime, a new global climate pact planned under the 192-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- scheduled to be hammered out in Copenhagen next month -- could "build a capital of trust" to open the debate, Durieux hoped.

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Can Closing the Ozone Hole Also Help Combat Climate Change?

Finding alternatives to refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons will help prevent the ozone hole being healed at climate's expense

Robynne Boyd, Scientific American 5 Nov 09;

Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse culprit in human-generated global warming, most scientists agree, but CO2 itself, and a handful of other substances, are now being promoted as good alternatives to commonly used refrigerants that threaten Earth's atmosphere and climate.

To understand this paradoxical turn of events, it helps to recall the 1980s, when the world's governments banded together to fix the Antarctic ozone hole, a continent-size gap in the atmospheric layer that protects human beings, among other living things, from the sun's damaging ultraviolet radiation. Via the international treaty that entered into force in 1989 known as the Montreal Protocol, participants agreed to phase out the chemicals that harmed ozone. Closing the hole became one of the globe's greatest and most successful environmental restoration projects. But today, there is a glitch: The touted solution for the ozone predicament could in fact exacerbate our greatest environmental challenge—climate change.

The problem is that under the Montreal Protocol, which the U.S. has signed, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were promoted as the environmental alternative to ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which had become the standard working coolant in refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosol cans. HCFCs, for their part, originally replaced the even more potent ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were used liberally until the early 1990s. Whereas HFCs do not destroy the ozone layer, they can be thousands of times more harmful to Earth's climate than carbon dioxide, posing a significant threat should they become HCFCs' main replacement.

"HCFCs and HFCs are two chemicals designed by chemists to trap heat; the fluorinated part of the compound turns what would be a normal hydrocarbon into something that is much more durable," explains Kert Davies, director of research for Greenpeace USA. "When you combine those two properties—heat trapping and durability—in the atmosphere, it creates a greenhouse gas. We created another problem by replacing the ozone depleters with chemicals that cause global warming, and now we need to replace these because they are going to be banned."

Starting January 1, under the Montreal Protocol, the world's developed nations must cut HCFC consumption and production by 75 percent. It will then become illegal to import, produce or sell Freon (HCFC-22) and HCFC-142b, the ubiquitous refrigerants, for use in new equipment. At the same time, Europe is implementing a ban on HFC-134a (a common car air-conditioning refrigerant that can trap 3,400 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2), beginning in 2011.

The alternatives? Natural refrigerants and a new group of fluorochemicals called hydrofluoro-olefins (HFOs).

Naturally occurring refrigerants, such as hydrocarbons (propane, isobutane and cyclopentane), ammonia and even that climate culprit carbon dioxide, can be used as cooling agents in refrigerators and air conditioners. They all have relatively low or lower global warming potentials, exist in large quantities, and do not have unknown side effects.

Ironically, CO2 seems to rise above the rest. "CO2 is an excellent refrigerant with superior thermodynamic and transport properties, compared to the HFCs in use today," says
David Hinde, manager of research and development for Conyers, Ga.–based Hill Phoenix, which recently became the first company to receive EPA approval to replace HCFCs with CO2 in supermarkets. "By using CO2, refrigeration systems will be able to reduce HFC leaks as well as dramatically reduce the HFC charge (the amount used in a system)."

Like most refrigerants, CO2 can remove heat from the air. The process starts when a refrigerator's compressor condenses CO2, raising its pressure and temperature. The gas is then transferred to a gas cooler where the heat is released cooling the refrigerant, which casts off the heat from a radiator on the back or bottom of the fridge. The CO2 (now between the liquid and vapor phases) then travels through an expansion valve, instantly reducing the liquid's pressure and causing it to rapidly expand into vapor. As the CO2 evaporates it absorbs heat, thereby cooling the air inside the refrigerator compartment. CO2 must be used at a much higher pressure than HFC refrigerants, and therefore requires stronger piping.

Already, companies such as Coca-Cola have begun using CO2 as a refrigerant in vending machines and other retail refrigerators outside of the U.S., as in China during the Olympics. And PepsiCo is now testing these vending machines in Washington, D.C., including in the Capitol.

Another potential alternative is hydrocarbon-based refrigerants, such as isobutane, which has been used in household refrigerators throughout Europe and in parts of Asia for a number of years. General Electric is currently seeking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval for its use in the U.S. Ben & Jerry's, a division of Unilever, has applied to the EPA to use propane as a refrigerant in ice-cream freezers. Both requests are pending approval due to fears over combustibility.

Then there are the synthetic refrigerants. In response to the ban on HFC-134a in Europe, chemical industry giants DuPont and Honeywell combined their years of fluorochemical expertise to find an alternative. HFO-1234yf was their answer. It doesn't cause ozone depletion, has an extremely low global warming potential, and is predicted to be ready for commercial use midway through 2011.

Concerns have been raised, however, over possible toxic side effects to the employees working around these chemicals as well as for automobile owners should it ignite. DuPont acknowledges that though HFO-1234yf is flammable, it is no more hazardous than the chemical it is replacing.

As most of these alternatives await approval, the possibility of HFC proliferation hangs in the air. But, not if Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment Dan Reifsnyder has a say in the matter. Reifsnyder, as head of the U.S. delegation to the Montreal Protocol, along with Canada and Mexico, has proposed an amendment to the treaty, calling for an HFC phasedown.

"HFCs today are not yet in wide use and embedded in the world, but if you look out to 2050 without any action being taken, they will be where people go when they leave HCFCs," Reifsnyder says. "The value of this proposal is it will send a signal to the private sector for the need for alternatives that are benign in the ozone and climate sense, and give the private sector time to work on new compounds."

The amendment to the protocol will be negotiated this week in Port Ghalib, Egypt, by the United Nations. If passed, it would mark the first time that language on a greenhouse gas is incorporated into the ozone treaty. It would also mean the EPA could expand its mandate to regulate ozone-depleting substances to include a greenhouse gas, because it is the agency that implements the Montreal Protocol in the U.S.

"Before we end up with a big problem, let's avoid a big problem," Reifsnyder says.

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Global climate deal at least a year away, negotiators say

Negotiators say they have abandoned hope of signing a legally binding emissions treaty in Copenhagen and are planning only for a meeting of world leaders
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 5 Nov 09;

A global deal to fight climate change will take at least six months and possibly another year to finalise, according to negotiators at the heart of the UN talks.

In a series of briefings, senior British and EU diplomats said they had abandoned any hope of reaching a legally binding treaty at the Copenhagen summit next month and had now started to plan only for a meeting of world leaders. This final acknowledgement follows weeks of growing pessimism and represents a significant downgrading of the summit's original goal.

The best outcome in Copenhagen will now be a political agreement which rich countries hope will include targets and timetables for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by developed nations and major emitters like China, as well as commitments to provide money for poor countries to cope with climate change. But even that reduced goal is far from certain, with huge gaps remaining between nations on key issues such as emissions cuts and funding for poor nations.

The delay was said to be caused by a combination of time running out in the tortuous UN negotiations and Washington's inability to commit specifically to targets and timetables. The US made clear yesterday that it thought a legal treaty was impossible in Copenhagen.

In Barcelona, a British government source said: "We think it will be impossible to sign up and agree a fully worked-up political treaty."

"It is a Catch-22 situation," said Artur Runge-Metzger, the European commission's chief negotiator. People are waiting for each other so it is difficult to blame anyone. [But] the US position is significant in terms of the delay. Clearly the US has been slowing things down."

In London, Ed Miliband, the UK secretary of state for energy and climate change, gave a similar message to the House of Commons, acknowledging that only a political agreement could be hoped for. "The UN negotiations are moving too slowly and not going well," he said.

The plan now is for world leaders to come to Copenhagen next month to sign a politically binding agreement which would have all the key elements of the final deal in it. "It would be substantive. It would set timelines, and provide the figures by which rich countries would reduce emissions, as well as the money that would be made available to developing countries to adapt to climate change", said a British government official.

But she said a legally binding agreement could take up to a year. "It could [take] six months up to a year, but we would want it to be [signed] as soon as possible".

Gordon Brown, President Lula of Brazil, President Sarkozy of France and other heads of state have already said they will go to Copenhagen, and others are expected to agree in the next few weeks. It is now more likely that President Obama will go because he will not be forced to sign a legally binding agreement which the US senate could then reject. Proposed climate laws presented to the Senate have encountered fierce opposition and on Tuesday, lawmakers accepted it could not be passed before Copenhagen. The battle over US healthcare reform and the recent election defeats for Obama have seriously reduced the president's ability to force through the laws.

However, there is the real prospect that even the political deal that world leaders will be asked to sign in Copenhagen will have little or no substance. The gap between the demands of the developing countries and the offers on the table is great in some areas, and there are fewer than seven days' full negotiating time left before world leaders arrive in Copenhagen.

The news was met with resignation by developing countries and NGOs. "Politically binding agreements are worth very little. Tell me of any politician who delivers a politically binding agreement", said Lumumba Di-Aping, chair of the G77 group of 130 countries.

"The world's poorest communities can't afford to wait. The cost of any delay to a climate deal will be counted in children's lives. We estimate that 250,000 children could be killed by climate change next year," said Benedict Dempsey, Save the Children's humanitarian policy officer.

"If the EU is buying time for Obama and Congress, let them come out and say so. To remove the impetus to push as far and as as hard as possible in the timeframe is reductive beyond belief," said Sol Oyuela, climate change policy officer at Cafod.

"The assumption that developing countries will want to go into a further round of talks is dangerous," added Antonio Hill of Oxfam. "There is no guarantee that anything will emerge."

Progress in Barcelona, the last full negotiating session before Copenhagen, has been particularly slow, with two days' negotiations effectively lost after African countries walked out in frustration at the lack of progress by rich countries. Neither the US nor the G77 group of countries have made any major concessions.

The deadlock has been most serious over proposed emission cuts. Rich countries together have proposed cutting approximately 16-23% on 1990 figures, but developing countries are determined to force a 40% cut to avoid what UN scientists say could be catastrophic climate change.

While the EU has proposed cuts of 20-30% by 2020, many other rich countries have not committed more than 15%. The US, the second largest emitter in the world, has pledged the equivalent of a 7% cut on 1990 emissions, or 17% on 2005 levels.

"There is everything to play for but we should lower our ambitions and get it right. Perhaps we were always being too ambitious," said one European diplomat.

NGOs said the talks were in real danger of losing their momentum, and accused the EU of giving up trying to persuade President Obama to give in.

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Nov 09

Soil sampling very close to Cyrene Reef
from wild shores of singapore

Smooth Otters - Part I
from Life's Indulgences

Saving the ‘Old Antiques’ – Horseshoe Crabs Research and Rescue
from My Itchy Fingers

Under the rocks and among seaweed in Sentosa
from wonderful creation and Singapore Nature and wild shores of singapore with boom in the bryopsis bloom.

Venus five
from The annotated budak

Flocking display by Purple-backed Starling
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Grey-tailed Tattler at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Paradise preserved
from talfryn.net

Palm oil threatens Borneo's rarest cats
from Mongabay.com news

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13 million want to live in Singapore

Alicia Wong, Today Online 5 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE - Should all who want to live in Singapore be granted their wish, the island could be overwhelmed with a population of up to 13 million, even if some restless locals seek greener pastures elsewhere.

This appeal the Republic holds for potential immigrants puts it right at the top of research firm Gallup's Potential Net Migration Index, consolidated after a three-year survey of where the world's adults would like to move to permanently.

Places like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France are, not surprisingly, the most popular destination countries in absolute terms, the survey found. But the index measures - as a proportion of the total population - the estimated number of people who want to live in a country minus those who want to move out.

With a top score of 260 per cent, "Singapore's adult population would increase from an estimated 3.6 million to as high as 13 million," Gallup reported on its website.

It's both good and disturbing news for Singapore, which has grappled with the economic imperative to persuade talented foreigners to take up roots here, but also the need to control the migrant influx and its problems for a tiny city-state with limited land.

After accelerating immigration numbers in recent years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong two months ago signalled a slowdown in the intake.

Sociologist Paulin Straughan said the survey findings "mean that hopefully we will be in a situation where we can afford to be selective". "If the statistics are reliable, it seems to suggest we are in a happy situation where we have a bigger pool of talent (to choose from)," the Nominated Member of Parliament added.

But who are those who want to move here? The Gallup survey, which interviewed 259,600 adults from 135 countries over the telephone or face-to-face, did not specify.

It did, however, show that of the 700 million worldwide who would like to live elsewhere, 38 per cent were from Sub-Saharan Africa and 23 per cent from the Middle East and North Africa, while Asians were the most content to stay put - only one in 10 wanted to move permanently.

As for Singapore's overall attractiveness, it was this year ranked by Mercer as being the world's 26th most liveable city, but also the 10th most expensive.

MP Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol) is "not surprised" with the Gallup findings. "(There are) many bigger countries where the situation is comparatively less fortunate than the situation here."

At his Meet-the-People sessions, he encounters "quite a lot of people (who) want their relatives, parents to move here". The Government will have to "strike a balance" in taking in those with talent, and those who do the jobs locals are not inclined towards, he added.

But as for Singaporeans who want to leave, they will likely be the "educated, professional and (those who) have skills" - and they will need to be replaced, said Associate Professor Straughan. About 1,000 emigrate each year.

Singapore a top choice for migrants
Gallup index shows S'pore population would jump to 13m if it takes in all who wished to come here
Lin Zhaowei, Straits Times 5 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE is a top immigration hot spot, according to a global survey conducted by Gallup.

If it were to take in all adults who wish to settle in the country, its adult population of 3.6 million would jump to 13 million, said the survey released this week.

Gallup arrived at this figure by using what it called the Potential Net Migration Index (PNMI).

The index is the estimated number of adults who wish to leave a country permanently subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate to the country, as a proportion of the total adult population.

The higher a positive PNMI value, the greater the potential of net population gain, proportional to the population size.

Singapore emerged tops with the highest PNMI value of 260 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (180 per cent), New Zealand (175 per cent), Canada (170 per cent) and Australia (145 per cent).

At the other end of the scale, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's score was minus 60 per cent, which means that more people want to leave the country permanently than settle in it.

For the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, only Arab nationals and Arab expatriates were interviewed for the 2007-2009 survey, which polled about 260,000 people aged 15 and older in 135 countries.

Singapore's ranking in the PNMI may not be entirely surprising given its relatively small population size and strong and stable economy, analysts said.

According to the United Nations' 2009 Human Development Report, Singapore is already a popular immigration destination.

It ranked No. 10 in the world in terms of the share of immigrants as part of total population, at 35 per cent.

The UN report also showed that Singapore had a relatively low emigration rate of 6.3 per cent.

'If most of those who say they want to come here are mostly economic migrants from other Asian countries, I won't be surprised because Singapore's economy is doing quite well relatively,' Dr Chua Beng Huat, a sociology professor at the National University of Singapore, told The Straits Times when asked to comment on the Gallup survey findings.

On the whole, the survey found that some 700 million people - or 16 per cent of the world's population - would like to relocate permanently to another country, if they had the chance.

The United States was the most desired destination overall in terms of numbers - around 165 million adults would like to move there permanently if they could.

Other top destinations included Canada, Britain, France (all three with around 45 million potential migrants); Spain (35 million) and Saudi Arabia (30 million).

Sub-Saharan Africa was the region with the highest percentage of people who would like to emigrate, at around 38 per cent.

The corresponding figure for the Middle East and North Africa was 23 per cent, and 19 per cent and 18 per cent respectively for Europe and the Americas.

Those living in Asia were the least likely to emigrate, with only 10 per cent expressing a desire to do so.

Ms Neli Esipova, Gallup's director of research for global migration, said the findings showed that hundreds of millions of people around the world felt pulled or pushed towards countries other than their own.

'Who these potential migrants are, where they would like to go and why will continue to be crucial for leaders in countries of origin and destination to understand as they develop migration and development strategies during the economic crisis and well after,' she said.

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Singapore scientists join international study of 10,000 vertebrates' genomes

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore EurekAlert 4 Nov 09;

'Genomes contain information from the past -- they are molecular fossils,' said Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner, M.D.

The Singapore laboratory that deciphered the DNA codes, or genomes, of the famed fugu (or pufferfish) and elephant shark, has joined The Genome 10K Project, an international effort to build an invaluable repository of DNA sequences on 10,000 species of animals for conducting comparative studies on a scale that currently can not be achieved.

Participating in The Genome 10K project, described in a paper published in the Nov. 5, 2009 issue of the Journal of Heredity, are 70 leading scientists at major zoos, museums, research centres and universities in North and South America, Europe, Australia as well as Asia. They will create a collection of tissue and DNA samples and then sequence and analyze the animals' genomes to reveal the complete genetic heritage of the 10,000 species.

The results will enable scientists worldwide to understand the genetic basis of adaptive changes that occur in vertebrates and predict how animals respond to climate change, pollution, emerging diseases and competition. In addition to aiding conservation efforts, this data will enable researchers to compare animal and human genomes, and reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human and other vertebrate genomes.

"The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved," said Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner, M.D., who co-heads Singapore's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) comparative genomics laboratory, which will participate in The Genome 10 K Project.

"Genomes contain information from the past – they are molecular fossils – and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information," added Dr. Brenner, who also is Scientific Advisor to the Chairman of Singapore's A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), which oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and seven consortia and centres at Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity.

One of the initiators of the Genome 10K project, David Haussler, Ph.D., Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at University of California, Santa Cruz, said, "For the first time, we have a chance to really see evolution in action, caught in the act of changing whole genomes. This is possible because the technology to sequence DNA is thousands of times more powerful now than it was just a decade ago, and is poised to get even more powerful very soon."

Byrappa Venkatesh, Ph.D., who heads IMCB's comparative genomics lab and is one of the chairpersons of the Genome 10K committee, said, "This project will not only generate sequences of all important vertebrate genomes that we were contemplating to sequence, but also will give us access to the latest sequencing technologies and sequence analysis tools for genomic studies in Singapore."

IMCB Executive Director Neal Copeland, Ph.D., added, "We are delighted and honored that IMCB is participating in this momentous project, which is a fine example of the international nature of science. Following the successful revelation of the fugu genome in 2002, IMCB is looking forward to making even more important contributions to the international field of genomics through the Genome 10K project and remains committed to using the tools of modern science to make important, basic discoveries that will advance the understanding of the human genome and diseases."

###

In addition to Dr. Haussler, the project initiators are Stephen J. O'Brien, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute and Oliver A. Ryder, Ph.D., Director of Genetics at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research and Adjunct Professor of Biology at UC San Diego.

For more information, please contact:
Wang Yunshi (Ms)
Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Scientists Launch Effort To Sequence The DNA Of 10,000 Vertebrates
ScienceDaily 4 Nov 09;

Scientists have an ambitious new strategy for untangling the evolutionary history of humans and their biological relatives: Create a genetic menagerie made of the DNA of more than 10,000 vertebrate species. The plan, proposed by an international consortium of scientists, is to obtain, preserve, and sequence the DNA of approximately one species for each genus of living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

"Understanding the evolution of the vertebrates is one of the greatest detective stories in science," said David Haussler, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). "No one has ever really known how the elephant got its trunk, or how the leopard got its spots. This project will lay the foundation for work that will answer those questions and many others."

Known as the Genome 10K Project, the approximately $50 million initiative is "tremendously exciting science that will have great benefits for human and animal health," Haussler said. "Within our lifetimes, we could get a glimpse of the genetic changes that have given rise to some of the most diverse life forms on the planet."

Haussler is one of the lead authors of an article, published online November 5, 2009, in the Journal of Heredity, that outlines the project. The other lead authors include Stephen J. O'Brien, chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, and Oliver A. Ryder, director of genetics at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research and adjunct professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego. Coauthors and additional authors, who together make up a group called the Genome 10K Community of Scientists (G10KCOS), include geneticists, paleontologists, ecologists, conservationists, and other scientists representing major zoos, museums, research centers, and universities around the world.

The proposal originated at a meeting Haussler hosted at UCSC in April 2009. More than 50 scientists came together to discuss the merits of the project and its daunting logistic and financial challenges. "Some of the people at the meeting were initially skeptical," Haussler said. "But they quickly recognized the many advantages of a shared infrastructure and data analysis system."

The primary impetus behind the proposal is the rapidly expanding capability of DNA sequencers and the associated decline in sequencing costs. "We'll soon be in a situation where it will cost only a few thousand dollars to sequence a genome," Haussler said. "At that point, most of the cost will be getting samples, managing the project, and handling data."

All living vertebrates descend from a single marine species that lived 500-600 million years ago. Paleontologists do not know much about the physical appearance of that species, but because all of its descendents share certain characteristics, they know that it had segmented muscles, a forebrain, midbrain, and hind brain attached to spinal cord structures, and a sophisticated innate immune system.

That primitive vertebrate gave rise to what Haussler calls "one of the most spectacularly malleable branches of life." Vertebrates spread throughout the oceans, conquered land, and eventually took to the air. Over the course of time they produced stunning innovations, including multichambered hearts, bones and teeth, an internal skeleton that has supported the largest aquatic and terrestrial animals on the planet, and a species of primate -- Homo sapiens -- that has produced sophisticated language, culture, and technology.

By sequencing the DNA of 10,000 vertebrates -- roughly one-sixth of the 60,000 species estimated to be living today -- biologists will be able to reconstruct the genetic changes that gave rise to this astonishing diversity. Some parts of our DNA are very similar to the DNA of other vertebrates, reflecting our descent from a common ancestor, while other parts are markedly different. "We can understand the function of elements in the human genome by seeing what parts of the genome have changed and what parts have not changed in humans and other animals," said Haussler.

The project also will help conservation efforts by documenting the genomes and genetic diversity of threatened and endangered vertebrate species. By helping scientists predict how species will respond to climate change, pollution, emerging diseases, and invasive competitors, it will support the assessment, monitoring, and management of biological diversity.

The G10KCOS consortium has been developing guidelines for the collection, preservation, and documentation of cell lines and DNA samples. It also has been discussing potential public and private sources of funding for the project -- estimated at $50 million if the price of handling and sequencing each DNA sample eventually falls to $5,000. Said Haussler: "How do you raise $50 million? Ask nicely and make a strong case."

In planning the project, the G10KCOS group has used the Human Genome Project as a model. For example, the consortium plans to release sequencing data immediately according to standards developed for the sequencing of the human genome. Haussler also cited that project, which began before needed sequencing technologies were available, as evidence that it is worthwhile to begin planning for the Genome 10K Project before the cost of sequencing falls enough to make it feasible. "The time to start is now, or the job will get away from us," said Haussler. "The sequencing machines will be waiting, but the samples won't be ready."

Adapted from materials provided by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

10,000 species ... and the missing link
A*Star scientists to help collect DNA samples for worldwide project
Today Online 6 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE - How humans evolved could one day be scientifically reconstructed through a project involving scientists from Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), who will help collect tissue and DNA samples from 10,000 species of animals.

Scientists from A*Star's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) will team up with 70 leading scientists from major zoos, museums, research centres and universities in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, in the effort called the Genome 10K Project.

Led by Professor Byrappa Venkatesh - who heads the Comparative Genomics Laboratory at IMCB and who is one of the chairpersons of the Genome 10K committee - the project will create an invaluable repository of DNA sequences for comparative studies on a scale never done before.

Taking Darwin's theory of evolution to another level, the project will allow scientists to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human and other vertebrate genomes.

"Genomes contain information from the past - they are molecular fossils - and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information," said Nobel Laureate Dr Sydney Brenner, who is Scientific Adviser to the A*Star chairman and co-head of the IMCB laboratory.

"The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved," he added.

Aside from being able to compare animal and human genomes, scientists will also be able to understand the genetic changes and adaptations that occur in vertebrates.

This will help in conservation efforts, as scientists may be able to predict how animals respond to climate change, emerging diseases, and competition.

Said Prof Venkatesh: "This project will not only generate sequences of all important vertebrate genomes that we were contemplating to sequence, but also will give us access to the latest sequencing technologies and sequence analysis tools for genomic studies in Singapore."

The proposal for the project, launched in April this year, is outlined in a paper titled A proposal to obtain whole genome sequence for 10,000 vertebrate species, which will be published in the Journal of Heredity.

Evolution of man - Singapore joins first steps of gene study
Channel NewsAsia 5 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE: How humans evolved could one day be scientifically reconstucted through a project involving Singapore's A*STAR scientists, who will help collect tissue and DNA samples from 10,000 species of animals.

Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) will team up with 70 leading scientists from major zoos, museums, research centres and universities in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia in the effort called the Genome 10K Project.

Led by Prof Byrappa Venkatesh, who heads the Comparative Genomics Laboratory at IMCB and who is one of the chairpersons of the Genome 10K committee, the project will create an invaluable repository of DNA sequences for comparative studies on a scale never done before.

Taking Darwin's theory of evolution to another level, the project will allow scientists to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human and other vertebrate genomes.

"Genomes contain information from the past – they are molecular fossils – and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information," said Nobel Laureate Dr Sydney Brenner, who is the Scientific Advisor to A*STAR's Chairman and co-head of the IMCB laboratory.

"The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved," he added.

Aside from being able to compare animal and human genomes, scientists will also be able to understand the genetic changes and adaptions that occur in vertebrates.

This will help in conservation efforts as scientists may be able to predict how animals respond to climate change, emerging diseases, and competition.

Prof Venkatesh said, "This project will not only generate sequences of all important vertebrate genomes that we were contemplating to sequence, but also will give us access to the latest sequencing technologies and sequence analysis tools for genomic studies in Singapore."

The proposal for the project, launched in April 2009, is outlined in a paper entitled "A proposal to obtain whole genome sequence for 10,000 vertebrate species", which will be published in the Journal of Heredity.

The initiators of the Genome 10K Project include Prof David Haussler, Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at University of California, Santa Cruz; Dr Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute and Prof Oliver A. Ryder, Director of Genetics at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research and Adjunct Professor of Biology at UC San Diego.

- CNA/sf

Massive effort to decode DNA of 10,000 species
Research will also give insight into evolutionary history of humans
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 7 Nov 09;

SCIENTISTS the world over are sequencing a veritable Noah's Ark, in the largest-ever project to trace the genetic history of humans.

Major zoos, museums and research centres, including the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*Star) Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), are involved in the massive effort to decode the DNA of 10,000 animals, ranging from the tiger shark to the crocodile lizard.

In all, 68 scientists from five continents - North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia - are working on what is called the Genome 10K Project.

There are about 60,000 known species of living vertebrates - creatures with backbones - broadly categorised into mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and sharks.

So far, the genomes of 50 animals such as chickens and zebrafish have already been decoded. But by getting such information from one in six vertebrates on earth, the researchers hope to be able to compare them with the genetic make-up of humans, to reconstruct the evolutionary history of humans.

Said Dr Sydney Brenner, a Nobel laureate in physiology who co-heads the IMCB laboratory: 'The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved.

'Genomes contain information from the past - they are molecular fossils - and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information.'

The scientists hope to raise up to US$50 million (S$69 million) for the study, which was published in the Journal of Heredity on Thursday and is expected to take five years. The results will be freely available to researchers.

They also hope that by looking at the genetic changes in species as they adapt over time, they can better predict how vertebrates respond to climate change and pollution, to help in conservation efforts.

Said Professor David Haussler of the University of California, Santa Cruz, one of the three researchers to initiate the project: 'For the first time, we have a chance to really see evolution in action, caught in the act of changing whole genomes.'

Singapore's contribution is led by Professor Byrappa Venkatesh, who heads the Comparative Genomics Laboratory at IMCB, and chairs the committee that will oversee the sequencing and analysis of the 10,000 specimens.

'The idea is that once these genomes are sequenced, we can understand how they have evolved, how diverse they are, and how their biological identities have come about,' he explained.

Such detailed studies can, for example, boost efforts to conserve endangered species such as anteaters, the California condor and the Chinese sturgeon.

'Once we have sequenced these animals, we can look for adaptations, so we can see variations in populations and select mutations that are favourable. So, for example, when you want to breed these endangered species in captivity, you can select those that do not carry lethal mutations or genes,' he said.

Such a vast database will also boost efforts in understanding genetic diseases that afflict humans, he added.

'Sequencing the human genome has changed medicine, because we now can look to the root cause of genetic diseases and which genes cause them,' he explained.

Undertaking a project on such a large scale is possible only now because sequencing technology has become more affordable, he added, noting that when the human genome was sequenced in 2000, it cost around US$300 million per genome. This can be done now for US$50,000, and in a year or so, the cost is expected to shrink to US$5,000.

Scouring the world for promising fish is second nature to the 18-year veteran of the local research scene, and Singapore has proved to be an invaluable treasure trove of rare fish species., he said.

Fish make up nearly half of the living vertebrates alive today, and will comprise 4,000 out of the 10,000 used in the project.

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Sungai Pulai and Sungei Buloh part of Iskandar work group

New work group to study joint economic project in Iskandar Malaysia
Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 09;

A study has been commissioned to assess the feasibility of nature sites for joint tourism development, which can potentially increase tourism flows between Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore.

The study sites are Sungai Pulai, Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup - collectively known as the Ramsar sites in Iskandar Malaysia - and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore.

SINGAPORE : A new work group has been formed to study the joint development of an iconic economic project in Iskandar Malaysia.

This is a follow-up to the discussions between the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore in May this year.

They mooted the idea of a bilateral project in Iskandar Malaysia as a showcase of the commitment of both countries to build a strong, productive and enduring relationship.

The set-up of the work group was announced after the fifth working meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia on Wednesday.

A joint statement said the committee also reviewed the progress made so far by the Joint Work Groups on Immigration, Transportation, Tourism, and Environment.

A study has been commissioned to assess the feasibility of nature sites for joint tourism development, which can potentially increase tourism flows between Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore.

The study sites are Sungai Pulai, Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup - collectively known as the Ramsar sites in Iskandar Malaysia - and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore.

On the immigration front, the pilot of the Malaysian Automated Clearance System that gives frequent travellers to Iskandar Malaysia access to "fast track" lanes was extended to all frequent travellers to Malaysia in September.

Both sides also agreed to double the cross-border bus services by January 2010.

The joint ministerial committee will meet again in the first half of 2010 to review the progress of the joint work groups. - CNA /ls

Singapore-KL work group for Iskandar project
Teo Cheng Wee, Straits Times 5 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE and Malaysia formed a work group yesterday to study the joint development of an iconic economic project in Iskandar.

Working together on an iconic project in the Johor economic zone was one of the key issues discussed when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Singapore in May.

The bilateral project was mooted as a showcase of the commitment of both countries to build a strong, productive and enduring relationship, the two countries' Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia said yesterday.

At the meeting in May, Mr Lee had suggested a mixed-use township development, while Datuk Seri Najib was keen on a wellness centre that could provide spas and other services.

But what the project will eventually be has not been finalised.

Yesterday's meeting at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Singapore was the fifth for the JMC. It was formed in 2007 with the aim of facilitating cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore on the Iskandar project.

The meeting was jointly chaired by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

The committee also includes Johor chief minister Ghani Othman and Singapore's Transport Minister Raymond Lim. The JMC also reviewed the progress made by four sub-groups on immigration, transportation, tourism and the environment.

A study has been commissioned to assess the feasibility of jointly developing nature sites as tourism spots.

On the immigration front, the pilot test of the Malaysian Automated Clearance System - which gives frequent travellers to Iskandar Malaysia access to 'fast track' lanes - was extended to all frequent travellers to Malaysia in September.

Both countries also agreed to double cross-border bus services by next January. The JMC will meet again in the first half of next year.

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SembMarine leaps into future with massive new shipyard in Tuas

$750m first phase to be ready by 2013 and remainder over 12 years; no cash-call to fund expansion
Vincent Wee Business Times 5 Nov 09;

(SINGAPORE) Sembcorp Marine yesterday took a bold step into the future by unveiling plans to build a massive integrated yard facility in Tuas View Extension. This will be Singapore's first new-built yard in a generation. Its first phase is expected to cost about $750 million and be completed by 2013.
Development of the 73.3-hectare first phase will begin next month and is expected to take four years. The remainder of the 206-hectare total site will be developed in two more phases over a period of 12 years.

'This is the right time to build in order to anticipate (demand) especially after the most recent crisis as we have seen neighbouring countries build up their shipyard facilities,' said SembMarine president and CEO Wong Weng Sun. 'We're trying to envisage the next cycle . . . and this is the best time to build and crucial to success in the future.'

In response to concerns that the new capacity will come onstream after the rigbuilding cycle has peaked, Mr Wong said that the first phase will focus on ship repairs and conversions, two sectors that should remain strong. Dock capacity has not kept pace with the increase in the global fleet which has added an average of 1,000 ships per year over the past four years.

Sembawang Shipyard managing director Ong Poh Kwee revealed that SembMarine turned away over 400 ships last year alone as it did not have the capacity to take them in.

Ship repairs contribute around $150 million to $160 million in turnover at the moment with SembMarine making the most of its current facilities to build rigs, do conversions as well as take in what repair jobs it has capacity to handle. The new yard will create 200 vessel slots per year, Mr Wong said.

SembMarine's regular customers and preferred partners have more than 1,000 vessels between them, most of which call in Singapore for their repair and maintenance needs. As much as 86 per cent of the repair business comes from these regular customers, Mr Ong said. With as much as half of the world's ships expected to be plying Asian routes in future, quicker turnaround times will be an increasingly important factor.

A 30-plus-30 years' lease has been signed with JTC for the first phase and SembMarine's current operations in Pulau Samulun will be relocated to the new yard and the land returned to JTC when it is ready for commercial operations. SembMarine will maintain operations at its other units PPL Shipyard and Sembawang Shipyard for now.

The development costs will be funded through a combination of debt and internal funds. SembMarine said that it has secured $700 million in committed banking facilities comprising $300 million term loans and $400 million revolving credit facilities with various banks.

SembMarine said that the expansion is a long-term project and is not expected to have any material impact on the net tangible assets and earnings per share for the year ending Dec 31, 2009. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it expects positive contributions to earnings when phase one becomes operational.

CFO Tan Cheng Tat assured investors that there would be no cash calls to fund the expansion. He added that the group also had the capacity to gear up to as much as 1.75 times, giving it the ability to take advantage of opportunities to expand overseas as well despite the huge capital expenditure planned over the next few years.

When fully completed, the new yard will increase total dock capacity by 62 per cent to 3.08 million dwt (deadweight ton) from 1.90 million dwt currently and will feature optimised docking and berthing facilities, with an improved dock and quay ratio, to ensure effective utilisation and faster turnaround in repairs and upgrading of ships, rigs and floaters.

The first phase will more than triple land area from the current 20 hectares, nearly quadruple drydock capacity to 1.55 million dwt from the current 400,000 dwt and boost quay length by almost three and half times from 1,071 metres to 3,408 metres. This will give SembMarine four very large crude carrier-size drydocks compared to two now.

Integrated facilities and newer technology will make the yard more efficient and productive which will in turn boost capacity and profitability, Mr Wong said. He expected productivity at the new yard to increase by at least 15 to 20 per cent.

The new facility marks a key milestone in the transformation of Singapore's offshore and marine sector, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and JTC Corp said in a joint release.

'The first integrated yard facility represents how Singapore stays at the forefront of the marine and offshore sector through constant innovation and modernisation,' said EDB chairman Leo Yip.

'Given the yard's new requirements, it was a challenging project for JTC,' said CEO Manohar Khiatani. 'We worked very closely with SembMarine to create a unique custom-made waterfront profile for the integrated new yard facility.'

SembMarine to build high-tech yard
$750m hub in Tuas is designed to boost competitive edge
Alvin Foo, Straits Times 5 Nov 09;

SEMBCORP Marine has unveiled plans to build Singapore's first integrated yard facility, in a move designed to boost its competitive edge and ready itself for the upturn. Located at Tuas View Extension, the state-of-the-art yard will occupy 206ha and be built on reclaimed land in three phases over 16 years.

Work on the first phase - costing $750 million - will start next month and is expected to be completed in four years. The remaining two phases will be developed over a 12-year period. The yard will serve as a one-stop hub for ship repair and conversion, shipbuilding, rig building and offshore engineering and construction.

Speaking at a briefing yesterday, SembMarine chief executive Wong Weng Sun said: 'It's the best time to build - and it's crucial, not only in the business sense, but also for the future.'

He added that the yard will leave SembMarine well positioned to respond to forecast growth in dock capacity demand and to a rise in offshore oil and gas activities, which will be spurred by projected increases in Asian seaborne and oil trades.

JTC Corp chairman Cedric Foo said: 'It's not only a key project for Sembcorp Marine, but also a major milestone for Singapore.'

Economic Development Board chairman Leo Yip said: 'The state-of-the-art facility will sharpen our competitive edge, and it demonstrates how Singapore continues to stay at the forefront of the global marine and offshore industry through constant innovation and modernisation.'

The yard will be designed to serve a wide range of vessels, including very large crude carriers, new generations of mega-container ships, LNG carriers and passenger vessels. When fully completed, the new yard will boost SembMarine's total dock capacity by 62 per cent and enhance productivity by up to 20 per cent.

The 73.3ha Phase 1 will focus on ship repair and conversion, with SembMarine relocating its Pulau Samulun operations to the new yard when the initial phase is ready. SembMarine said it had secured $700 million worth of committed banking facilities for the yard.

Yesterday's announcement came as SembMarine reported that net profits went up 3 per cent to $144.6 million in the three months ended Sept 30. Revenue rose 32.9 per cent to $1.52 billion.

Earnings per share was 7.02 cents, up from 6.84 cents a year ago, while net asset value per share was 77.43 cents, up from 64.11 cents as of Dec 31 last year.

The company has a net order book worth $6.7 billion, including $1.12 billion in new orders secured during the first half of this year. It said the fundamentals for the offshore oil and gas sector remained intact, with oil prices stabilising in the US$70-US$80 a barrel range. It expects its ship repair business to remain reasonably good for the rest of this year.

Before news of the planned integrated yard broke, SembMarine shares closed two cents higher yesterday at $3.44.

SembCorp Marine building 206-hectare yard facility in Tuas
Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE: SembCorp Marine is building a new 206-hectare yard facility in Tuas in three phases over the next 16 years.

SembCorp Marine said on Wednesday the first phase will have ship repair and conversion facilities, and will have three-and-a-half times the capacity of the current yard at Pulau Samulun.

The rig-builder expects the new yard to boost productivity by as much as 20 per cent from a reduced product cycle.

The construction of the first phase of the project will cost S$750 million and it will begin next month.


- CNA/so

Read more!

Sustainable Manufacturing Centre: One-stop knowledge hub

Jonathan Kwok, Straits Times 4 Nov 09;

A ONE-STOP knowledge hub for manufacturers who want to increase the environmental sustainability of their production processes was set up at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology's premises on Wednesday.

The Sustainable Manufacturing Centre will facilitate collaborations among government agencies, industry associations, the research community and the manufacturing industry to engage in research and development and the implementation of green manufacturing technologies.

It will also educate and advise companies on best practices in sustainable manufacturing.

'Singapore is doing its part to ensure that we, as a nation, move in the right direction in this aspect...

'Boosting our resource efficiency has been identified as a key priority, in light of the greater needs of our growing population and economy, growing global resource constraints as well as climate change,' said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who was guest of honour at the centre's official opening.

'Our goal is to improve our energy use per dollar GDP by 35 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030,' he added.

Cadbury gets on green bandwagon
Jonathan Kwok, Straits Times 5 Nov 09;

GLOBAL confectionery firm Cadbury is aiming to make green chocolate - green in the environmental sense, that is.

Cadbury is one of four companies that have linked up with Singapore's newly set-up Sustainable Manufacturing Centre (SMC) to develop eco-friendly manufacturing processes and products.

Cadbury's project is part of Purple Goes Green, a global campaign by the chocolate brand with the trademark purple packaging to boost the environmental sustainability of its production.

'There is a growing awareness of environmental issues, and more of our consumers request and demand that their products be green,' said Mr Chandran Gopal, manufacturing manager at Cadbury Enterprises, Cadbury's Singapore-based arm.

'As a company, we are also conscious of the environment, and thus it's good to be upfront, be prepared and to put in (environmental) initiatives to be ahead of the rest,' he said.

The SMC is a tie-up between seven government agencies and eight industry associations. It will focus on developing and implementing sustainable manufacturing technologies.

It will assist Cadbury over the next three months in tracking the carbon footprint of each piece of equipment in its cocoa production plant in Jurong. Once the evaluation process is over, Mr Gopal hopes to extend the agreement and engage the SMC's capabilities to implement measures to help his factory reduce its carbon emissions.

These might include bringing in innovative new technologies to improve energy and water usage.

The official signing of the agreement between Cadbury and SMC was held yesterday in conjunction with SMC's opening ceremony at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology's premises.

The other companies that have linked up with SMC are timber product maker LHT Holdings, food manufacturer Prima, and electronics company Screentech Display.

The SMC aims to be a one- stop information hub for Singapore-based manufacturers who want to become 'greener'. It will conduct workshops and seminars on sustainable technologies, and provide consultancy and advisory services for firms exploring methods to revamp their processes.

These companies can eventually follow in the footsteps of Cadbury by entering into full-fledged research and development arrangements with SMC. By undertaking the costs of manpower, equipment and consumables, companies can engage the SMC in projects to tailor and implement green technologies to meet their business needs.

'Singapore is doing its part to ensure that we, as a nation, move in the right direction in this aspect... Boosting our resource efficiency has been identified as a key priority, in the light of the greater needs of our growing population and economy, growing global resource constraints as well as climate change,' said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who was the guest of honour.

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