Clean and Green Singapore campaign launched

Sara Grosse Channel NewsAsia 29 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE: A nationwide initiative to increase awareness on environmental issues was launched on Saturday.

The Clean and Green Singapore campaign, co-organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and North West Community Development Council, kicked off with a two-day carnival that encouraged citizens to take care of the environment.

13-year-old Ng Jia Wei said he prefers gardening to playing computer games, and wants to encourage others to share his hobby.

He said: "I've created a Facebook page group and website for my community garden and I've posted some videos, gardening tips."

Jia Wei is the youngest recipient of the Community in Bloom Ambassador award, which recognises individuals who foster the love for gardening in their community. The award recognises his efforts in mentoring children who want to learn about gardening.

While Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who launched the Clean and Green Singapore campaign, said individual efforts can go a long way in keeping the environment green, he also urged for more participation on the community-front.

The NEA launched a community-led "Keep Singapore Clean" initiative that will encourage schools, grassroots and private organisations to take action and keep the environment clean. At the same time, the North West CDC also plans to build the largest green network, comprising 45 community green clubs and 2,000 volunteers to reach out to 90,000 households by 2014.

Mr Teo said: "This can only be achieved through continuous effort on the part of everyone of us. The government will continue to invest in environmental systems, structures, but it's only with the public taking active ownership that we can continue to keep Singapore clean and green."

Besides recycling and anti-littering messages, the carnival also highlighted dengue-prevention to the public.

Since the start of the year, there have been 4651 cases of dengue.

Even though the number of dengue cases are tapering down this year, the government still wants the public to take precautionary measures. The NEA is launching a new exercise called "Educational Inspections", which will see NEA officers working with home owners to identify what are some of the high-risk activities in the home.

Minister of Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said: "If at these educational inspections, even if any larvae is found, an amnesty will be given. So we will not fine the house owners because the important point here is this is an educational exercise, to work with you. We don't want you to be worried about being fined just because you invited an NEA officer to come in and take a look and to give you advice."

The educational inspections will target homes in non-hot spot areas. If larvae is found in homes in hot-spot areas, fines will still be issued.

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Shell to return refinery to full capacity in December

Today Online 28 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE - Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's largest oil company, expects to return its Pulau Bukom refinery in Singapore to full capacity in December after a fire shut the plant in September.

"We have restarted most of the units now," chief financial officer Simon Henry said in London yesterday, declining to give output rate and product-export volume details.

Shell will restart the third crude distillation unit (CDU) at the Pulau Bukom refinery, its largest worldwide, within the next day or two, industry sources said.

With the restart, more than 50 per cent of the plant's 500,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) capacity will be back onstream, following progressive restarts of the other two CDUs over the past two weeks.

Shell expects the fire and resulting shutdown to cost it about US$150 million (S$187 million) in the fourth quarter. The company said it has still not fully lifted a force majeure on oil products from the refinery.

Shell reported a doubling in profits yesterday thanks to higher oil prices, robust demand for gas and stronger refining margins. Its current cost of supply (CCS) net income was US$7.2 billion (S$9 billion), a 100 per cent rise on the same period last year when non-cash accounting charges weighed on the result, the company said.

CCS earnings strip out unrealised gains or losses related to changes in the value of inventories, and as such are comparable with net income under US accounting rules. Shell exports 90 per cent of products to the Asia-Pacific region from the offshore Pulau Bukom refinery. AGENCIES

Shell restarts final crude unit at Singapore refinery
* Singapore plant to operate at about 52 pct of capacity
* Operations expected to return to normal in Nov-Dec
* Fire hits Q4 earnings by $150 mln
* Most major secondary units up and running
Yaw Yan Chong Reuters 27 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc will restart the third crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Singapore refinery within the next day or two, just under a month after a blaze shut the plant, industry sources said on Thursday.

With the restart, just over 50 percent of the plant's 500,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) capacity will be back onstream, following progressive restarts of the other two CDUs over the past two weeks.

Shell's largest refinery will return to normal in November-December, the company said at a briefing in London, adding that the fire and resulting shutdown cost it about $150 million in the fourth quarter.

"We have restarted most of the units now but progressively they'll come back up to full production during Novermber and December," Simon Henry, Chief Financial Officer, told reporters on a conference call.

Major secondary units include the 35,000-bpd hydrocracker, 25,000-bpd fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) and highly profitable lubricant oils complex (LOC).

The company said it has still not fully lifted a force majeure on oil products from the refinery.

"We are delivering products again but haven't lifted all of the force majeure," Henry said.

The sources said the 110,000-bpd CDU, which will restart on Friday or Saturday, is expected to run at a reduced rate of around 70-75 percent, similar to the second CDU that was restarted over a week ago.

With the restart, the plant's three crude units will be operating at a combined capacity of about 259,000 bpd, or 52 percent of capacity.

"That's about as far as the plant can go, for the near term at least, and any further ramp-up will be very gradual from here until major repairs to the fire-damaged areas are completed," a refining source said.

"The main idea is to get as much of the plant running as possible while repairs are underway."

SECONDARY UNITS UP

The lubricants oil complex has been up and running for about two days, producing the refinery's highest-margin product, the sources said.

The hydrocracker, which was shut due to its proximity to the fire but was undamaged, has been running for about a week, primarily to produce heavy kerosene as feedstock for Shell's 750,000 tonnes-per-year (tpy) ethylene cracker.

"The initial efforts were on the higher-margin products, such as lubricants and petrochemicals, and now the plant needs to be producing adequate volumes of the bread-and-butter oil products, mainly middle distillates," said another refining source.

Shell is a major supplier of middle distillates and gasoline to the region. The refinery produces 6.5-7.0 million barrels per month of middle distillates, of which gas oil is about 4.5 million barrels, and another 4.0-4.5 million barrels of gasoline.

About 90 percent of the refinery's output is exported.

Bukom refinery fully operational in Q4
Shell signals commitment to grow integrated Singapore refinery/petrochemical hub
Ronnie Lim Business Times 1 Nov 11;

SHELL is set to get its Bukom refinery/petrochemical site fully operating again this quarter following the Sept 28 fire there.

The incident has also not deterred it from making more investments here, as the group definitely plans to further grow the Singapore facility which is its largest worldwide, top Shell officials, including the group's CEO Peter Voser stressed yesterday.

While Shell indicated at its Q3 results briefing last week that it expected to book a loss of about US$150 million for the fourth quarter as a result of the Bukom fire, Mr Voser conceded that 'it was difficult to quantify both lost margins - because we couldn't sell barrels we don't have - as well as reputational loss', when asked by BT if the figure included these items.

He however maintained that the total losses, including opportunity costs, 'will not be much higher' than the earlier cited figure of US$150 million.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the Singapore Energy Summit here, Mr Voser said that as far as reputational loss or loss of goodwill was concerned, 'Shell's global team was also doing everything it can to repair this as fast as possible', adding: 'We've kept customers pretty well supplied in the last few weeks.'

Shell Singapore chairman Lee Tzu Yang added that the company was working closely with customers to minimise the inconvenience and economic impact of the force majeure that it declared on product supplies as Bukom had to shut down some plants for safety reasons, but it is now well underway on getting these back onstream.

Mr Lee said that investigations into the fire by the authorities, as well as by Shell itself, are still proceeding and that 'it's too early to share any results at this time'.

'We've also ended force majeure in certain products and for certain contracts - and have resumed supplies for these - while FM remains in force for some others; and we continue to work with our customers to minimise the impact from this,' he added.

Shell earlier indicated that the Bukom facility was expected to return to normal in November-December, and Mr Voser confirmed yesterday that 'we are making good progress in the start-up, and are confident that we can get it going again in Q4'.

Despite the setback, the Shell CEO signalled that the group would continue to grow the integrated Singapore refinery/petrochemical hub here - which it considers a 'legacy' or long-life asset - even as it continues to shut down smaller, less efficient plants in its global portfolio.

'We've not yet finished in Singapore,' Mr Lee stressed, adding that even as it recently added the US$3 billion Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex to its 500,000 barrels refinery here, the group was already looking at a range of different projects, incorporating more innovative technology, to further grow its manufacturing facility here.

Force majeure lifted on most contracts
Probe into September refinery inferno still ongoing, says Shell Singapore chairman
Grace Chua Straits Times 1 Nov 11;

PETROCHEMICAL giant Shell yesterday said it has lifted force majeure on the majority of its supply contracts after a fire at its Pulau Bukom plant in September.

The force majeure clause, common in many contracts, excuses the firm from fulfilling its contractual obligations in circumstances beyond its control.

The Dutch oil giant also outlined some of its expansion plans in Asia yesterday, saying growth in the Asia-Pacific may slow due to economic uncertainties but that the region will remain key to the firm's long-term growth.

Shell Singapore chairman Lee Tzu Yang confirmed the emergency clause had been lifted from most of its products and contracts after the 32-hour inferno at its Pulau Bukom island refinery, which has a capacity of 500,000 barrels a day.

'For other contracts that are still subject to force majeure, we continue to work with them,' he said.

He was speaking during a Shell press conference on the first day of Singapore International Energy Week, which is being held at the Suntec Convention Centre until Friday.

Both Shell and government investigations are still proceeding, Mr Lee added.

Previously, a report by the Ministry of Manpower's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate mentioned that the fire was caused by preparation work for maintenance, which involved draining residual oil in a pipeline using a suction truck.

Shell chief executive Peter Voser said at the press conference: 'I think we are making good progress in starting up the refinery again.'

He expects the company would 'get things going again' by the end of this year.

Mr Voser, who also spoke at the Singapore Energy Summit dinner dialogue yesterday, detailed some of the firm's expansion plans in Asia, such as shale gas exploration in China and investment in the second phase of its Malampaya offshore gas field off the Philippines.

He explained that, given the global economic uncertainty, the refinery margin next year would be 'a tough one', but should have no impact on long-term investment.

And the Asia-Pacific is still 'a key growth region in the portfolio of Shell', he said.

'Growth in Asia-Pacific will maybe slightly slow down in 2012, but the region will be the key growth engine of the world for many years to come.'

At the dinner dialogue, Mr Voser added that sustainability is critical to meeting the energy demands of the world's growing population.

'We think 30 per cent of the world's energy mix could come from renewable sources by 2050,' he said. 'But that target assumes a very rapid growth rate. It will require a large amount of effort and sustained investment.'

Shell is working on biofuel projects, such as ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil, and focusing on the production of natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels when burned.

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Malaysia: Rope bridges a critical lifeline for orang utans

Roy Goh New Straits Times 30 Oct 11;

KINABATANGAN: The construction of seven bridges in eight years has made a difference in the effort to ensure the survival of the orang utans here.

This temporary measure has helped the primates and other species to move within forests fragmented by man-made rivers.

Sabah Wildlife director Dr Laurentius Ambu said ultimately, however, reconnecting forests via corridors or patches of forests was the next crucial step to better preserving wildlife in the state.

“Even though it will be an expensive and long process, reconnecting isolated populations which were originally linked together, will ensure the long-term survival of not only orang utans but other unique species, such as the Bornean Pygmy Elephants, the sunbears, the clouded leopards and many others,” he said.

Surveys carried out by the department and non-governmental organisation, Hutan-KOCP (Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme), shows that there are 700 orang utans within protected and non-protected areas of the lower Kinabatangan.

Sabah has an estimated 11,000 orang utans, which is 80 per cent of the nation’s wild orang utans.

However, due to agricultural activities, many forests are fragmented, trapping animals such as the orang utans because of their inability to swim.

To tackle this problem, rope bridges were built for orang utans to cross small rivers and large drains since 2003, and also to connect pockets of isolated forest, said Azri Awang of Hutan-KOCP.

In the past, orang utans would use old-growth forests as “nat ur al br idges” over small rivers.

However, at present, orang utans no longer have this luxury since most of the tall trees in such forests have been logged.

Oil palm plantations had also contributed to the isolation of the orang utans when large drains were built to draw off excess water from the plantations, Azri said, adding that there was no other way for the species to make it through such obstacles, making the bridges vital for their survival.

Since then, seven bridges had been built with the help from or - ganisations, such as Danau Girang Field Centre, Chester Zoo of the United Kingdom, Borneo Conservation Trust, Shining Hope Foundation, Ropeskills Rigging Sdn Bhd, Barefoot Lodge of Sukau and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo of the United States.

According to Dr Marc Ancrenaz, co-director of Hutan-KOCP, oil palm companies could actually reverse the situation if they adopted the recommendations of the Wildlife Depar tment.

“In May last year, at the conclusion of the state Action Plan workshop, the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister stated that he would like to see plantations, particularly those located in the Kinabatangan, to set aside at least 500m along riverbanks for wildlife corridors,” said Ancrenaz, who has been working on wildlife issues in Sabah since 1998.

“Using rope bridges is a quick fix, but eventually the most ideal solution will be to reconnect the forests and we are all working on this,” he said.

“And when I say ‘we ’, I mean everyone from the government sector to environmental non-governmental organisations and the palm oil industry as well.” Furthermore, genetic modelling carried out jointly by Hutan-KOCP, Wildlife Department, Cardiff University and DGFC had shown that unless action was taken urgently to reconnect these species, most of the iso - lated orang utan population within the lower Kinabatangan would go extinct within our lifetime.

Learning the ropes to save the orang utan
The Star 30 Oct 11;

KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife researchers have turned to Britain to literally learn the ropes in orang utan conservation in the lower Kinabatangan region in Sabah's east coast.

The researchers here had noted that the ropes used at the orang utan enclosures of the Chester Zoo reputedly Britain's top zoo with over 7,000 animals and 400 different species were of lighter material, durable and able to withstand the sun's ultra-violet rays apart from being non-biodegradable.

British zoo officials visited here recently and, with the help of professional riggers, constructed seven rope bridges across rivers, streams and drains at various locations in lower Kinabatangan.

The rope bridges were to enable isolated groups of orang utan at various forest patches to move about freely.

The orang utan population had been trapped in isolated groups throughout lower Kinabatangan because the forest is split due to the actions of some oil palm companies that plant all the way down to the river banks.

Hutan-Kinabatangan orang utan conservation programme (KOCP) director Dr Marc Ancrenaz said since 2003, wildlife researchers had been experimenting with various rope materials including fire hoses from Japan and rope bridges of different designs to help the orangutans move from one forest patch to another.

“We found that they prefer to use the simple two line rope bridges,” said Dr Ancrenaz, a wildlife veterinarian.

He added that using rope bridges was only a quick fix as the most ideal solution would be to reconnect the forest pockets in the Kinabatangan area through the establishment of wildlife corridors.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said reconnecting the forest patches via jungle corridors was a crucial step.

“Even though it will be an expensive and long process, reconnecting isolated populations will ensure the long term survival of not only Sabah's orang utans but other unique species, such as the Bornean pygmy elephants, the sun bears and the clouded leopards,” Dr Laurentius said.

Wildlife researchers noted that genetic modelling, being carried out jointly by the department, Hutan-KOCP, Cardiff University and the Danau Girang Field Centre, showed that unless action was urgently taken to reconnect the isolated orang utan populations, they would soon become extinct.

Surveys carried out by the department and Hutan-KOCP showed that there were only 700 orang utans within the protected and non-protected areas of lower Kinabatangan.

Sabah has an estimated 11,000 orangutans.

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Malaysia To Chair Coral Triangle Initiative Council For Two Years

Bernama 29 Oct 11;

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- The 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) has elected Malaysia to chair the Coral Triangle Initiative Council of Ministers (CTI-COM) for a two-year term effective on Nov 20.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili has accepted the chairmanship from outgoing chairman, Indonesia's Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sharif Cicip Sutarardjo, at the CTI-CFF in Jakarta Friday.

According to a statement from Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry here, Ongkili said Malaysia was committed to the initiative to sustainably preserve, protect and develop the rich marine resources in the CTI region.

"The chairmanship will be a challenge especially as the CTI is in the transition process of establishing a permanent regional secretariat, and in its quest to achieve sustainable financing of its initatives," he said at the CTI-CFF.

He assured that Malaysia would provide its leadership and direction towards achieving the CTI goals of promoting long-term economic growth while sustaining environmental health for the resource-rich region.

Ongkili also put forward Malaysia's proposal for the setting up of a CTI-CFF Business Council, which was endorsed by the Council of Ministers in its joint statement.

"The establishment of the Business Council is timely as member countries have expressed the need to engage the private sector to enhance private sector participation in sustainable development of resources through public-private partnership arrangement," he said.

The meeting was attended by ministers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, The Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

-- BERNAMA

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Best of our wild blogs: 29 Oct 11

Lost Coast: bountiful bonnets and awesome sand creatures
from wild shores of singapore

Deevapali @ SBWR (261011)
from Trek through Paradise

Catching up with old friends
from Life's Indulgences

111028 Venus Drive
from Singapore Nature

Semakau guided walk with SJI
from wonderful creation

Gardening for birds: 4. Plants for nectar-feeding birds
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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ACRES to RWS: Set the record straight

Letter from Christina Lee Jiawei Campaigns Officer, Animal Concerns Research & Education Society
Today Online 28 Oct 11;

I refer to the letter "Marine life parks both educational and inspirational" (Oct 26).

Resorts World Sentosa states its belief that "controlled collection of wildlife in well-run zoological facilities is essential" and that it complied with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

However, can RWS clarify if it conducted proper scientific studies into the status of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the Solomon Islands prior to their capture?

Can RWS scientifically state that its capture of the 27 dolphins was not detrimental to the survival of this species in the Solomon Islands?

Lastly, does RWS agree with the statement that the preference for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins as a captive, display species "makes them vulnerable to depletion from such catches"?

Due to the lack of scientific data, the world conservation union IUCN urged CITES parties in 2003 to not issue import permits for dolphins captured in the Solomon Islands (www.ssn.org/Documents/IUCN_CSG_to_CITES.pdf).

RWS previously stated that it would be "gravely irresponsible" to re-introduce captured dolphins into the wild, indicating its position that re-introductions are not possible.

In its letter, RWS now speaks about how marine parks can help in the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals in the wild. Has RWS changed its position?

The Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) urges RWS to respond to all the concerns we raised in the letter "Swim at RWS or in the ocean?" (Oct 21).

ACRES supports the establishment of the Marine Life Park, but we hope that RWS opens a park that focuses on ethical acquisition of animals, the keeping of animals that can cope with captivity and a park that focuses on proper, in-situ conservation efforts.

Be consistent in conserving nature
Letter from Alfred Chia Yong Soong
Today Online 29 Oct 11;

AS WE celebrate the achievement of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve being declared as Singapore's second Asean Heritage Park, the first being Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, we must reflect, too, that dolphins caught from the wild will be performing soon at Resorts World Sentosa.

President Tony Tan had acknowledged that it was a privilege for Singapore to be recognised in the region for its nature conservation efforts.

Is it not ironic that as we embrace this new accolade, at the same time, we are condoning and allowing such wild creatures to be paraded for economic greed?

Many who object to this have raised their concerns and views, but it seems from RWS' letter "Marine life parks both educational and inspirational" (Oct 26) that it will go ahead with the venture.

Such stoicism on its part cannot go unchallenged and must be condemned by all who care genuinely for nature.

The Government, while accepting the endorsement bestowed on Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, must be seen to be consistent in nature conservation, lest we be miscontrued as conserving nature only on a selective basis.

Marine life parks both educational and inspirational
Research, breeding programmes in the works at RWS
Letter from Krist Boo Senior Vice President, Communications, Resorts World Sentosa
Today Online 26 Oct 11;

We thank Today readers for their letters last week on the Marine Life Park (MLP)and take this opportunity to state MLP's position, plans and clarifications regarding our 25 dolphins.

We at MLP believe that controlled collection of wildlife in well-run zoological facilities is essential. Propagation and knowledge gained from dolphins in human care have helped conservation efforts worldwide.

It is the responsibility of all marine facilities to support both scientific research and conservation. In fact, most efforts to rescue and rehabilitate marine animals in the wild call upon the expertise and equipment from marine parks today.

It is also a fact that millions of people each year visit aquariums and marine parks, which not only offer educational value but have also inspired numerous visitors to embark on careers dedicated to helping or working with animals.

One of the letters, "Swim at RWS or in the ocean?" (Oct 21), quoted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) casting doubt over the collection of wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the Solomon Islands.

That was actually sourced from a presentation to the IUCN, edited by R R Reeves and R L Brownell Jr, with a preface from IUCN stating that the presentation did not "necessarily reflect the views on IUCN".

Regardless, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, managed by the United Nations Environment Programme, is the recognised agreement that governs trade involving wild fauna and flora.

The acquisition of all MLP marine animals, including our dolphins, adheres to its standards.

There is much to learn about bottlenose dolphins. Through our team of experienced staff, we have identified and begun participating in research programmes regarding marine mammals.

Once our dolphins are in Singapore, we will begin a breeding programme modelled after other programmes that have been successful in marine parks throughout the world. We invite readers to visit our blog (http://mlp.rwsentosablog.com) to know the MLP better.

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Migratory birds at Sungei Buloh: Have wings, will travel

Straits Times 29 Oct 11;

It is now the annual migratory bird season at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, with thousands of birds flying in and out of Singapore. The annual epic journeys of billions of birds worldwide are among the most breathtaking and intriguing phenomena in the animal world. The Straits Times embarks on a long-haul flight with these winged marvels to uncover the facts about avian migration.

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Megafloat oil storage in the works

Ronnie Lim Business Times 29 Oct 11;

THE first 'megafloat' at Pulau Sebarok - a pilot project to store oil on very large floating structures (VLFS) here - will be government-led, but private sector-run, as part of ongoing efforts to develop alternative facilities for oil traders in land-scarce Singapore.

It is to be built and owned initially by JTC Corporation but operated by Royal Vopak, one of the biggest terminal operators here, sources said. Under the plan, Vopak will have the option to take over ownership of the floating storage later.

Vopak has apparently indicated its intent to do so, although company officials were not available to confirm this.

The Dutch tank farm operator is reportedly the logical choice to run the Sebarok megafloat as the VLFS site is just behind its existing surface tank farm there.

It is one of four oil and chemical tank farms which Vopak operates on Jurong Island, the others being at the Banyan, Penjuru and Sakra sectors.

JTC's lead in the project will help promote floating oil storage which has no proven track record yet, as far as its commercial viability is concerned, the sources said.

It is not unlike the Jurong Rock Cavern (JRC) project to store oil underground, with the $850 million first phase currently being built by JTC expected to be ready by the first half of 2013. JRC has already found its first customer in Jurong Aromatics Corporation which is building a US$2.4 billion petrochemicals complex on the island.

BT understands that JTC is set to call a tender for an operator to run the JRC soon.

The shortage of storage capacity here with no more land available for building more surface tank farms, has led many international oil traders based here to resort to using tank farms sprouting up in neighbouring Johor. These include those at Tanjung Langsat, Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Bin and Pengerang - with Vopak building with Malaysia's Dialog a huge US$1 billion tank farm at Pengerang.

On the megafloat project here, sources said that while no additional sites have been identified for more such VLFS yet, these will likely be contiguous to, or touching or joining, land which require no sandfill.

Final-stage engineering for the Sebarok VLFS is being done by a consortium comprising Jurong Consultants and British Maritime Technology Group and will include input from the user, in this case, Vopak. The consultants are expected to prepare and call for the engineering, procurement and construction tender for its construction in the coming months.

The megafloat will have a minimum storage capacity of 300,000 cubic metres, or equal to that of a very large crude carrier. It would comprise two rectangular modules, each with 150,000 cu m capacity.

Earlier estimates were that the project would cost at least $180 million, although this will depend on the materials, such as whether steel or concrete, used.

JTC studies on the project started back in 2007, with phase one covering a preliminary conceptual design of an attached-to-land VLFS. This progressed to phase two covering areas such as environmental impact, marine soil investigation and sea current monitoring, which was completed last year.

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Indonesia: Only four female Javan rhinos left in the wild

The Jakarta Post 28 Oct 11;

JAKARTA: Among the approximately 40 Javanese rhinoceroses in Ujung Kulon, West Java, only four are female, prompting more headaches for the government and conservationists in their decades-long work to save the animal.

Yopie Hidayat, the spokesman for Vice President Boediono, revealed the daunting information after Boediono held a meeting with the secretary general of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on Wednesday.

“The Vice President met with the IUCN secretary general, and they discussed their plan to help preserve the Javanese rhinoceros, whose population was only 35 to 45,” Yopie said as quoted by Antara news agency.

“The problem is that only around four or five [of the Javanese rhinos] are female,” he added.

According to Yopie, the threat of extinction for the single-horned rhino became more serious than ever with the gender imbalance. Moreover, the female rhinos experience a 16-month gestation period, Yopie said.

Javanese rhinos are typically poached for their horns, which are extremely valuable on the black market. Last week, conservation group the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said that Vietnam lost its battle to save the rare Javan rhino, after the country’s last animal was reportedly shot and killed for its horn.

There are no Javanese rhinos in captivity, and the 40 wild rhinos at Ujung Kulon are the only left on the planet.

Survey of Rare Javan Rhinos Finds Few Females
Jakarta Globe 28 Oct 11;

A survey of endangered Javan rhinos in an Indonesian park has found far fewer females than males, a potential setback in efforts to save the species.

Video cameras set up in the eastern half of Ujung Kulon National Park recorded 17 rhinos this year. Just four were female.

Park official Arif Junaedi said on Friday that the cameras have now been moved to the more remote western half of the park, and that “hopefully many more females remain” there. The results should be known in November.

Only 40 to 60 Javan rhinos remain in the park, which is the animal’s original habitat. They are the last known living members of the species, with none in captivity.

The last known Javan rhino in Vietnam was found dead in April, apparently after poachers killed it for its horn.

Associated Press

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Swooping out of sight: Bats in need of greater protection

IUCN 28 Oct 11;

Nocturnal, furry and known for their spooky reputation around Halloween, bats are not only the mysterious mammals that haunt the dark; they are also an important part of nature and in need of greater protection. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, 20% of bats are threatened.

“Bats are disappearing at an alarming rate, due largely in part to ignorance and a misunderstanding of the benefits they provide,” says Paul A. Racey, Co-Chair IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group. “We need to build capacity for bat conservation and we must educate young people about the value of these animals.”

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals capable of flying. Bats are also the second largest order of mammals—numbering about 1,250 species. The smallest bat in the world is the Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) measuring around 30 mm in length. It is probably the smallest species of mammal that exists. The largest bat is the Golden-capped Fruit Bat (Acerodon jubatus), which is around 340 mm long and has a wingspan of 1.5 m.

Crucial to the environment, bats carry out the important ecological services of pollination, seed dispersal and reduction of pest insects. In South East Asia, bats, specifically the Dawn Bat (Eonycteris spelaea), pollinate durian, a high-value fruit, and also pettai, a vegetable used in curries. In Madagascar, endemic fruit bats pollinate some of the six endemic species of baobabs, including Adansonia suarezensis, only a few hundred individuals of which survive around Diego Suarez.

About 70% of bats depend on insects for the main part of their diet, while the remainder are essentially fruit eaters. Bats dietary needs are mutually beneficial to farmers and crop growers. For example, in Texas, Mexican Free Tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) eat the pests that plague cotton and tobacco crops, reducing the insect population and the number of pesticide applications needed.

Around the world, bats can be found making their home in almost every environment available. Bats will inhabit caves, tree hollows, foliage, and even man-made structures, as they require only two things: a place for foraging and a roost where they can sleep. The main threats to bats are the loss of their roosting and foraging habitats.

Bats have the most sophisticated ultrasonic obstacle avoidance and prey detection system in the animal kingdom—they emit high frequency sounds above the range of human hearing that allow them to localize obstacles and food. Attempts have been made replicate bat echolocation in order to produce aids for visually-impaired humans.

“Bats are among the most underappreciated groups of mammals in the world and major steps are needed to safeguard them,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission. “Protection for bat roosting and foraging habitats, as well as effective response to specific threats, such as wind farms, is imperative.”

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‘Protect Coral Triangle’ Move Gets Nod

Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 28 Oct 11;

Officials from the six countries that make up the Pacific Coral Triangle have agreed to set up a permanent secretariat in Manado, North Sulawesi.

Indonesian Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Sharif Cicip Sutarjo said on Friday at a summit of the Coral Triangle Initiative that the building of the headquarters would allow the six governments to pursue “pro-development, pro-environment, pro-jobs and pro-growth policies” in managing their shared maritime area.

“It will give us a chance to prove that we are really paying attention when it comes to environmental issues,” he said.

The six countries whose maritime borders delineate the Coral Triangle are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

The area has been dubbed the “Amazon of the Seas” for the sheer wealth of marine life sustained by the various coral species there.

The Asian Development Bank also lauded the plan to set up a secretariat in Manado.

“The establishment of a permanent secretariat is an important step toward ensuring the success of the initiative and for implementing the regional plan of action,” Jon Lindborg, the ADB country director for Indonesia, said in a statement.

“Improved management of coastal and marine resources ... is critical for ensuring food security, employment, sustainable economic development and increased regional cooperation.”

The Coral Triangle holds 76 percent of all known coral species and its resources provide daily sustenance and employment for over 120 million people, according to the ADB. However, it warns that harmful fishing practices and climate change are threatening the future of this global epicenter of marine biodiversity.

The ADB has worked with the CTI member states to raise funding for various programs linked to the initiative since it was started in 2007. To date, the ADB and Coral Triangle countries have been working together to develop five new projects with funding of about $230 million.

Sharif, who was appointed maritime minister last week, said the ongoing summit in Jakarta would discuss offers of funding for the CTI from other countries interested in the long-term benefits of protecting the area.

“The world needs the Coral Triangle,” he said. “It already has Brazil and the Amazon forest, and it also has Africa and its diverse flora and fauna. For maritime biodiversity, there’s the Coral Triangle.”

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Climate change damage to mangroves feared

Gulf Times 28 Oct 11;

The devastating cyclones Sidr and Aila had destroyed over 1,000mn taka ($13.5mn) plants, animals and infrastructures in the world’s biggest mangrove Sundarbans located in Bangladesh, State Minister for Land Mustafizur Rahman informed parliament yetserday.

“Natural disasters like cyclone and tidal surge are increasing in the Sundarbans area due to climate change,” he said replying to a question from a lawmaker.

He said the Sundarbans has been able to overcome its losses due to the timely initiatives taken by the present government.

Referring to a survey of Integrated Resources Management Project (IRMP) funded by USAID in 2009, the state Minister said regeneration of Sundari trees in the forest has increased by 70% in comparison with that of 1983.

The resources in the forest including other plants have also been increased, he said.

The state minister expressed his fears that the intensity of natural disaster and salinity might increase in the forest due to climate change in future when habitations of Royal Bengal Tiger and other aquatic animals would be affected.

But, he said, all-out efforts at the national and international levels are on to protect the world heritage.

Improving the management of the Sundarbans is the first step at the national level to this effect, the minister said, adding that the other measures are inclusion of the adjoining villagers in the forest management, provision of compensation to the victims of animal attack for reducing the rate of tiger killings and improving the skills of foresters.

Besides, the projects including Integrated Protected Area Co-Management (IPAC), Sundarbans Livelihoods Security Project, Strengthening of Regional Co-operation of Wildlife Project, and Biodiversity Conservation and Ecotourism Development in Bangladesh- are being implemented with the assistance of World Bank, European Union and USAID, he added.

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