Indonesia: In flood-prone Jakarta, will 'Giant Sea Wall' plan sink or swim?

Thin Lei Win Reuters 14 Sep 17;

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Indonesia’s bustling capital, Jakarta, is sinking faster than any other city in the world. But an ambitious plan to build a giant wall to keep out the encroaching sea has come under fire from fishermen who fear for their catches and homes, and water experts who say it doesn’t do enough to tackle land subsidence.

The city’s northern areas have sunk 4 meters (13 ft) in the past 40 years, Japanese experts say, while some ‘hot spots’ are said to be dropping as much as 20 centimeters a year.

The 10 million residents of the low-lying coastal city, built on a swampy plain, are exposed to tidal and seasonal flooding. In 2013, parts were submerged under nearly 2 meters of water after a heavy monsoon storm.

Jakarta’s vulnerability to floods - already exacerbated by population growth, urbanization and changing land use - rises with every centimeter the ground falls.

Experts and residents agree that over-extraction of groundwater for drinking and commercial use is largely responsible for the land subsidence.

What they don’t agree on is how to tackle it. An iconic infrastructure project that is supposed to ease Jakarta’s flooding woes is mired in uncertainty.

The Dutch, regarded as the foremost authorities on the concept of “living with water”, are lending their expertise via the flood prevention plan involving a giant sea wall that will close off Jakarta Bay, which could cost up to $40 billion.

Critics, however, say the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) program does not address land subsidence - the underlying reason for flooding.

At the same time, “the government is throwing away access to the sea” for tens of thousands of people in the bay who rely on fishing and fish-processing, said Ahmad Marthin Hadiwinata of the Indonesia Traditional Fisherfolk Union.

He worries that local residents will be evicted from their homes to make way for the new infrastructure.

Unveiled in 2014 - and better known as the “Great Garuda” or “Giant Sea Wall” - the project involves raising and strengthening the existing onshore embankment of Jakarta Bay, as well as constructing a 15-mile outer sea wall and developing real estate on artificial islands reclaimed from the ocean.

Seen from the air, the mega construction project was initially shaped like a garuda, the bird-god of Hindu mythology that is Indonesia’s national symbol.

But the design was changed in response to opposition and a government request to incorporate another project led by private developers to build 17 artificial islands, said Victor Coenen, Indonesia representative for Witteveen+Bos, a Dutch engineering consultancy leading the NCICD consortium.

Its partners, which also include South Korea, are now awaiting the government’s decision on the final plan, he added.

A June document outlining an updated NCICD master plan, seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, confirmed the new design and emphasized the importance of stopping land subsidence, as well as addressing water and sanitation issues.

The Ministry of National Development Planning did not respond to requests for comment.

FISHERMEN SUFFER

The NCICD is one of many water projects the Dutch have embarked on in their former colony. In May, Indonesia gave the go ahead to Dutch companies to build the world’s largest tidal power plant in eastern Indonesia.

Three Dutch non-profit groups - Both ENDS, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the Transnational Institute - said in an April report that the NCICD threatened the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people and had failed to follow design guidelines that would apply in the Netherlands, calling it a “pseudo-solution”.

A child stand as a worker drives heavy equipment near a new construction of a concrete sea wall at Cilincing area in Jakarta, Indonesia August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta
Hadiwinata from the Fisherfolk Union said local communities also object to a lack of consultation and impact assessments.

At least 25,000 fishermen have been hit by work already done for the project and other land reclamation initiatives along Jakarta Bay, which have caused sedimentation, he added.

They have to go further to find fish, whose numbers are now very low, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Many, including Hadiwinata, are hoping Anies Baswedan, who won a hard-fought election for the post of Jakarta governor in April, will stop or modify the project when he takes office in October. Work was suspended for several months in 2016 amid regulatory and environmental concerns.

During his campaign, Baswedan was vocal about his opposition to the NCICD but has said nothing since. He was not available to comment for this article.

Coenen said stopping land subsidence is important but could take 15 to 20 years, meaning Jakarta should work on flood prevention at the same time. The future of the crowded city’s flood protection lies offshore because it has no space for flood basins, he added.

“It’s only a question of how far offshore you go, how big you want to build, and how long you want it to last, because the smaller the scheme, the shorter the lifetime will be,” he said.

The project’s first phase of strengthening the existing embankment along Jakarta’s shoreline, which began in 2014, is about a third complete, Coenen said.

LEARNING FROM TOKYO

Critics of the NCICD are hoping a three-year project to study and stop land subsidence, agreed in July between Indonesia and Japan’s international development agency JICA, could help.

It involves developing better monitoring systems to measure where subsidence is worst and groundwater extraction heaviest, raising awareness of the dangers, and undertaking mitigation measures such as regulating groundwater usage.

It may be one to two years before there is reliable, consolidated data on land subsidence, but the findings will feed into the NCICD, JICA said.

“Tokyo started regulating groundwater usage in the 1960s,” said Jun Hayakawa, JICA’s expert on water resource management. “By the early 1970s, the groundwater extraction and land subsidence stopped.”

If most of Jakarta’s groundwater usage can be prohibited, the city may soon see results, he said.

But this depends on how quickly the local and national governments can adopt regulations and provide alternative water sources, he added. That could be a major stumbling block.

Indonesian water expert Nila Ardhianie said around 65 percent of Jakarta’s residents are forced to use groundwater because the piped water system only covers about a third of the population. But she puts a larger share of the blame for land subsidence on commercial use by hotels, malls and businesses.

Nearly every large government building also draws on deep groundwater wells, even though many have piped water, because groundwater is free for public buildings in Jakarta, according to Dutch think tank Deltares.

Under the current system, operated by a city-owned water company and two private firms, universal access to piped water would be achieved only by 2022, too late to stop groundwater extraction in time to brake further land subsidence, the report from the Dutch non-profits said.

Tokyo also had to build sea walls but they were raised gradually, said JICA’s Hayakawa, suggesting Jakarta could do the same. “We need sea walls to protect the lives and assets of people in Jakarta,” he said.

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Cambodia: Koh Kong sand activists charged

Phak Seangly and Shaun Turton Phnom Penh Post 14 Sep 17;

Two Mother Nature activists arrested after filming suspected sand-bearing vessels have been charged with incitement and making unauthorised recordings of a person in “a private place” – an offence that drew scepticism yesterday, given they were in their own boat in the open ocean when capturing the footage.

The activists, Dem Kundy and Hun Vannak, were seized in their boat off the coast of Koh Kong province on Tuesday, about 10 kilometres from where they had been filming the ships, according to the driver of their speedboat. The pair were charged yesterday by the Koh Kong Provincial Court.

Court spokesman Un Sovan Theany described the charges as one count each of violation of privacy and incitement to commit a crime, though he declined to name the crime the pair had allegedly incited.

“The investigating judge decided to put them in prison to keep them to continue the investigation,” Theany added.

Incitement carries a maximum sentence of two years, while violation of privacy – described in the Criminal Code as “recording the image of a person who is in a private place without the . . . consent of the person” – carries a maximum sentence of one year and a fine up to $500.

Following his arrest, Vannak posted on Facebook that the vessels they were filming were about 4 kilometres from ruling Cambodian People’s Party Senator Ly Yong Phat’s special economic zone in Kiri Sakor district’s Prek Ksach commune.

Mother Nature founder Alex Gonzalez-Davidson yesterday said the activists were between 500 metres and 1 kilometre from the ships they were filming, which were suspected to be ready to transport silica sand.

Mother Nature on Monday published a video online exposing huge discrepancies in silica sand trade figures with Taiwan, highlighting more than $30 million in undocumented and potentially illegal exports, according to the group.
The revelations follow similar scandals with sand exports to Singapore and India.

Gonzalez-Davidson said the ships appeared not to be broadcasting an Automatic Identification System signal, meaning they did not show up on online ship tracking databases. “This [arrest] is likely in retaliation for the excellent work the two guys have been doing exposing the corruption and systematic fraud behind the extraction and export of sand,” Gonzalez-Davidson said, calling the charges “completely baseless”.

Vannak and Kundy have both been arrested before in connection to their activism.

Speaking on condition of anonymity yesterday, a provincial police officer said the violation of privacy charge had been brought by Yong Phat, though the policeman said he believed the charge was not relevant. “They did not affect the company’s land because they took the pictures from a boat.”

Yong Phat’s representative did not respond to a request for comment.

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Snow leopard no longer 'endangered'

BBC 14 Sep 17;

Has the chilling threat of extinction worn off at last for the long-endangered snow leopard?

Not exactly - but the iconic big cats' conservation status has been improved from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

The decision was announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the global standard for assessing extinction risk.

Experts have warned that the species still faces serious threats from poaching and habitat destruction.

The elegant yet elusive creatures, which live in the mountains of central Asia, were first listed as endangered by the IUCN in 1972.

The status change followed a three-year assessment process by five international experts.

Dr Tom McCarthy, who runs the Snow Leopard Programme at big cat charity Panthera, was one of them.

"To be considered 'endangered,' there must be fewer than 2,500 mature snow leopards and they must be experiencing a high rate of decline," he explained.

"Both are now considered extremely unlikely, which is the good news, but it does not mean that snow leopards are 'safe' or that now is a time to celebrate.

"The species still faces 'a high risk of extinction in the wild', and is likely still declining - just not at the rate previously thought."

Being classed as "vulnerable" means a species has under 10,000 breeding animals left, with a population decline of at least 10% over three generations.

The Snow Leopard Trust, which aims to protect the big cat through community projects, strongly opposes the status change. It plans to challenge the decision with the IUCN.

"We believe it could have serious consequences for the species," it wrote in a blog post.

Snow leopard researchers believe the species' decline may have been slowed by conservation projects - including some to protect farm animals from the predators, which are sometimes killed in revenge for livestock losses.

The number of protected areas within the snow leopards' habitat has also increased significantly in recent decades.

Snow leopard stats
* The rarely-sighted cats live in the craggy peaks of central Asia - including the Himalayas, and Russia's remote Altai mountains
* Their habitat covers more than 1.8 million sq km / 694,980 sq miles, across 12 countries
* Scientists say they are threatened by poaching for their fur, infrastructure developments, and climate change
* Usually found at elevations of 3,000-4,500m (11,480-14,760ft)
* Solitary creatures, they usually hunt at dawn and dusk and are able to kill prey up to three times their own weight
* Mostly feed on wild animals, but will also prey on livestock
* Their spotted coats change with the seasons - from a thick, white fur to keep them warm and camouflaged in winter, to a fine yellow-grey coat in summer
* Retaliatory killings by farmers are not uncommon, but are rarely reported

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Best of our wild blogs: 14 Sep 17

Communities struggle to save Sabah’s shrinking mangroves
mongabay.com

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Man fined S$6,600 for keeping star tortoises, hedgehog

Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: A man was fined S$6,600 on Wednesday (Sep 13) for keeping two Indian star tortoises and a hedgehog, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said.

Lim Kok Huat, 33, had meant to sell the animals.

In a media release, AVA said it received a tip-off on Feb 28 that an individual was selling illegal wildlife online and conducted a sting operation on Mar 8.

The tortoises and hedgehog were seized and placed under the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

The keeping or selling of wild animals is not allowed in Singapore as the demand for such creatures would "fuel illegal wildlife trade", said AVA, adding that the animals may also pose a public safety risk if they are mishandled or if they transmit diseases to humans.

Releasing non-native wild animals may also threaten biodiversity, the agency said.

The Indian star tortoise is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna or Flora (CITES).

Those convicted of illegally importing or exporting, possessing and selling CITES-protected species can be fined up to S$500,000, jailed two years or both.

It is also an offence to keep or sell wild animals not protected by CITES, such as hedgehogs. Offenders can be fined up to S$1,000.
Source: CNA/hs



Man fined for possessing and selling illegal wildlife
ASYRAF KAMIL Today Online 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE – A 33-year-old man has been fined S$6,600 for the possession and keeping of illegal wildlife, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) Wednesday (Sept 13).

Lim Kok Huat was found to have kept two Indian star tortoises and a hedgehog, which were meant for sale online. The AVA said they had received a tip-off that an individual was selling illegal wildlife and had worked to monitor his activities with their informant.

During their investigations, the AVA found that Lim had use plastic containers to transport the star tortoises and hedgehog.

A sting operation was then conducted on 8 March 2017.

In a media release, the AVA said that the keeping and selling of wild animals, such as tortoises and hedgehogs, are not allowed in Singapore and that demand for such wildlife would fuel illegal wildlife trade.

“Wild animals are not suitable pets as they may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans and can be a public safety risk if mishandled or if they escape into our dense urban environment. In addition, wild animals that are non-native to Singapore may also be a threat to our biodiversity if released into the environment,” the AVA said.

According to the AVA, it is an offence to illegally import and export, possess, sell, offer and advertise for sale or display to public any illegal wildlife species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) of Wild Fauna or Flora, including the online sales of such wildlife species.

The Indian star tortoise is protected under Cites but the hedgehog, while classified as an illegal wildlife, is not protected under the law.

For possessing the star tortoises, Lim could have been fined up to S$500,000 and/or two years’ jail, while he could have been liable to a fine of not exceeding S$1,000 for the possession of the hedgehog.

The AVA said that while they continue to ensure measures against illegal trading of wildlife is enforced, members of the public could play their part to report suspected cases of illegal animals being smuggled or offered for sale in Singapore.

Those with information on illegal wildlife activities may contact the AVA at 6805 2992 to make a report.

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Indonesia: Hotspots detected across Sumatra Island

Antara 14 Sep 17;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Terra and Aqua Satellites have detected 27 hotspots across Sumatra Island, according to the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

"The hotspots, having a trust level above 50 percent, were detected in seven province in Sumatra," Slamet Riyadi, head of the data and information section of the Pekanbaru climatology office, stated here on Wednesday.

Of the total 27 hotspots, 14 were found in South Sumatra, five in West Sumatra, three in Bangka Belitung, two in Jambi, and one each in North Sumatra, Bengkulu, and Riau Provinces.

In Riau, the hotspot was found in Rupat Sub-district, Bengkalis District.

According to the Riau disaster mitigation office (BPBD), Riau is experiencing a transition from dry to rainy season.

The number of hotspot tended to decrease during Sept.

The Riau BPBD is vigilant of possible forest fires in accordance with the emergency status of forest fire that has been declared by the Riau provincial government since early this year until Nov 2017.

Indonesia is bracing for forest and plantation fires, as the country is forecast to experience drought that could induce wildfires, from June to Oct this year.

Despite the country being relatively free of haze smog arising from forest fires last year, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged all stakeholders to undertake early preventive measures against wildfires.

In 2015, Indonesia was hit hard by forest and plantation fires that had affected 2,089 million hectares of area and inflicted financial losses worth Rp220 trillion.

The wildfires in 2015 affected commercial flights, offices, businesses, schools, and public health.

Some 504 thousand people suffered from respiratory ailments, and flora and fauna habitats were damaged, as 2.6 million hectares of forest areas were gutted by wildfires.

Based on monitoring data of the NOAA satellite, the number of hotspots in 2016 had decreased by 82.14 percent, compared to that in 2015, while the Terra and Aqua satellites showed a drop of 94.58 percent.(*)

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Walruses in Alaska may have died in stampede

DAN JOLING AP Yahoo News 14 Sep 17;

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Thousands of Pacific walrus are coming to Alaska's northwest shore again in the absence of summer sea ice and not all are surviving.

A survey Monday of a mile of coastline near the Inupiaq Eskimo village of Point Lay found 64 dead walruses, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told The Associated Press.

Most of the animals were younger than a year old. The cause of death is not known, said agency spokeswoman Andrea Medeiros, but stampedes — set off when startled walruses rush to the sea, crushing smaller animals — are a likely suspect.

"Our thinking is, because of the age of the animals — they were young animals — it's likely that it was caused by a stampede, probably more likely than disease, given the age class," Medeiros said.

A polar bear, hunter, airplane or boat can cause a stampede. Alaska Native residents of Point Lay, who may legally hunt walrus for food, expressed concern after seeing an airplane flying near the herd and possibly circling.

"That certainly is a concern," Medeiros said. "That's not what we want people to be doing."

Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines instruct pilots of single-engine planes to stay at least a half-mile away from walruses on land or ice, and if closer, to fly above 2,000 feet (610 meters).

The guidelines call for helicopters and multi-engine aircraft to stay a mile away, or if closer, above 3,000 feet (915 meters). The agency warns that it is only guidance but creating a disturbance is a violation of federal law.

Several hundred walruses came ashore near Point Lay on Aug. 3, the earliest recorded appearance of a herd in a phenomenon tied to climate warming and diminished Arctic Ocean sea ice.

A week later, the number had grown to 2,000. In the past month, 30,000 to 40,000 walruses at times have crowded the beach, Medeiros said.

Walrus dive hundreds of feet to eat clams on the ocean bottom, but unlike seals, they cannot swim indefinitely. Historically, sea ice has provided a platform for rest and safety far from predators for mothers and calves north of the Bering Strait.

However, sea ice has receded much farther north in recent years because of global warming, beyond the shallow continental shelf, over water more than 10,000 feet (3,050 meters) deep. That's far too deep for walruses to reach the ocean bottom.

Instead of staying on sea ice over the deep water, walruses have gathered on shore to rest.

Calves born earlier this year are especially vulnerable when shoulder to shoulder with mature females that weigh more than a ton.

Residents of Point Lay reported three to five dead walruses in early August. A community member who works with the Fish and Wildlife Service counted 64 dead walruses Monday and tagged them so they would not be counted in a later survey.

The agency hopes to send a veterinarian to determine the cause of the deaths. No one has witnessed a stampede.

"Depending on when the last time he did his survey, it may be an accumulation over several weeks," Medeiros said.

Shaye Wolf, climate science director for the Center for Biological Diversity, who wrote the 2008 petition to list walruses as threatened or endangered species, said the Fish and Wildlife Service should review guidelines for protecting walruses.

"These animals are suffering a great deal of stress from climate change, and when they're pushed ashore, they should get very strong protections from disturbances," she said.

The ultimate threat to walruses is the rapid loss of sea ice due to climate disruption, she said, adding that rollbacks of climate change protections by the Trump administration will further endanger the animals.

Ice in the Chukchi Sea has not reached its minimum for 2017. Walruses likely will keep coming ashore until ice starts to re-form with the onset of winter, Fish and Wildlife said.

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Chocolate industry driving deforestation of Ivory Coast: report

AFP Yahoo News 14 Sep 17;

Abidjan (AFP) - The chocolate industry is indirectly driving massive and illegal deforestation in Ivory Coast, fuelling a catastrophic decline in wildlife, a green group said Wednesday.

"In several national parks and other protected areas, 90 percent or more of the land mass has been converted to cocoa," the group Mighty Earth said in its investigation.

"Less than four percent of Ivory Coast remains densely forested," it said. "The chocolate companies’ laissez-faire approach to sourcing has driven extensive deforestation in Ghana as well."

Habitat loss has been disastrous for protected species, ranging from chimpanzees and leopards to pygmy hippos and elephants, it said.

The animals are forced into ever-smaller areas, making it easier for them to be tracked down and slaughtered by poachers.

In Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer, accounting for 40 percent of world output, "deforestation has pushed chimpanzees into just a few small pockets, and reduced the country’s elephant population from several hundred thousand to about 200-400," the report said.

It said major chocolate brands were indirectly involved in a "shocking" trade, in which growers produced cocoa in national parks, who sold it to middle men, who then sold it on to a handful of firms that control roughly half of the world's market.

From there, it was sold to big chocolate companies.

"According to our analysis, 291,254 acres (117,900 hectares) of protected areas were cleared between 2001 and 2014," Mighty Earth said.

Over the same period, Ghana, another big West African producer, lost 7,000 square kilometers (2,700 square miles) of forest, or about 10 percent of its entire tree cover.

Around a quarter of that deforestation in Ghana was connected to the chocolate industry, the report charged.

Traders Cargill, Olam and Barry Callebaut, which are named in the report, say on their websites that they are aware of the problem of deforestation in the cocoa sector, and have set up to programmes for deforestation-free supply chains.

Leading chocolate and cocoa companies, under an initiative launched by Britain's Prince Charles, have promised to come up with a "framework of action" to end deforestation in the industry.

Their project is due to be unveiled for the world climate conference in Bonn in November. Deforestation is not only destroys habitat, but is also a major contribution to global warming.

The world demand for chocolate stands at around three million tonnes annually, a figure that rises between two and five percent each year, in a market worth around $100 billion (84 billion), according to the report.

Most of it is is manufactured and consumed in Europe and North America.

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 Sep 17

Collision near the Sisters Islands Marine Park, no oil spill (13 Sep 2017)
wild shores of singapore

EVENT: Creepy Crawlies and Herpy Derpies! (30 Sep)
Entomological Network of Singapore

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5 men missing after tanker-dredger collision near Sisters Island

Today Online 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE – Five men are missing after their dredger capsized after an early Wednesday (Sept 13) morning collision with a tanker, the second such maritime accident in Singapore’s waters within a month.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement that the incident happened at 12.40am on Wednesday, about 3.15km south-west of Sisters Island.

The five men are part of a 12-man crew – comprising 11 Chinese nationals and one Malaysian – on a Dominican-registered dredger, JBB De Rong. Their vessel collided with an Indonesian tanker, Kartika Segara.

According to the MPA, the dredger capsized as a result of the accident and is currently partially submerged. It was transiting the westbound lane while the tanker was departing Singapore joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait when the incident occurred.

The MPA said the Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System had provided navigational information to both vessels prior to the collision.

Seven Chinese nationals were rescued by the Singapore Police Coast Guard and taken to the Singapore General Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said that five of the seven men have been discharged from the hospital.

One crew member was admitted and is in stable condition, while the other is currently under observation.

The Indonesian tanker sustained damage to its starboard bow, but its 26 crew members were unharmed. The tanker is currently anchored at the Eastern Anchorage.

Inter-agency search and rescue efforts are underway, involving a total of 10 vessels from the Republic of Singapore Navy, the MPA, the Coast Guard and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

In addition, a Republic of Singapore Air Force Super Puma helicopter began an aerial search at 7am.

Two MPA tug boats have moved the partially submerged dredger to an area near Pulau Senang for follow up underwater search operations.

The MPA said it has issued a navigational broadcasts for ships to look out for the missing crew and to navigate with caution when in the vicinity of the incident site.

There is no reported disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

Wednesday morning's collision follows the one on August 21, when the US warship USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel in Singapore territorial waters near Pedra Branca.

The USS John S McCain was on its way to Singapore for a routine visit when it collided with the Alnic MC, a chemical and oil tanker about three times the size of the guided-missile destroyer. Ten US Navy servicemen were killed in the incident.


5 missing after tanker and boat collide in Singapore waters; search and rescue ongoing
Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: Search-and-rescue operations are under way for five missing crew members after a tanker and a boat collided on Wednesday (Sep 13) at about 12.40am, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

The collision between Indonesian-registered tanker Kartika Segara and Dominican-registered dredger JBB De Rong 19 took place about 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters' Islands, the statement said.

The dredger capsized and is currently partially submerged. Of the 12 crew members – 11 Chinese nationals and a Malaysian – on board the dredger, seven were injured while five were unaccounted for. No one from the tanker was hurt.

The seven injured men were rescued by the Singapore Police Coast Guard and taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital at 2.45am. Five have since been discharged, a hospital spokesperson confirmed, adding that one remained admitted while the other was under observation.

MPA is leading the search and rescue operations and relevant Singapore agencies are assisting, it said.

Two MPA tug boats moved the partially submerged dredger to an area near Pulau Senang for follow-up underwater search operations, while three MPA patrol craft are assisting in the search and rescue.

The Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the coast guard have deployed a total of seven vessels for the operation.

A Super Puma helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force began searching from the air at 7am, according to MPA.

"The dredger was transiting the westbound lane while the tanker was departing Singapore joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait when the incident occurred," MPA said. "The Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System had provided navigational information to both vessels prior the collision.

"The tanker reported damage to her starboard bow but is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage. Its 26 Indonesian crew did not sustain any injuries," the agency added.

There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait, the statement said.

In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen reiterated that MPA was leading the search-and-rescue operations for the five crew members.

"I hope the missing seaman can be located," added Dr Ng.

This collision was not the only incident that occurred in recent times. Ten US sailors died after a collision between US Navy warship USS John S McCain and oil tanker Alnic MC in Singapore waters last month.
Source: CNA/mn


Two ships collide in Singapore waters; 7 injured, 5 missing
Linette Lai, Seow Bei Yi, Rachel Au-Yong Straits Times 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE - More than 12 hours after two ships collided in Singapore waters, five crew members remain missing.

The accident, involving a Dominican-registered dredger and Indonesian-registered tanker, happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning (Sept 13), about 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters' Island.

The dredger, which had 12 crew members on board, capsized. Its crew consisted of 11 Chinese nationals and one Malaysian.

Seven of the Chinese nationals were rescued and transferred to the Singapore General Hospital for treatment. As of Wednesday afternoon, at least two of the seven remained in hospital.

When The Straits Times arrived at the capsized ship on Wednesday afternoon, boats from the authorities were patrolling the area. A boat carrying divers had pulled up next to the dredger.

The 26 Indonesian crew on the tanker were unscathed. However, the ship's right front section was visibly damaged.

The Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System provided navigational information to both vessels prior to the collision.

The Indonesian-registered tanker is the Kartika Segara.

The Dominican-registered dredger, the JBB De Rong, is manged by Malaysian company LK Global Shipping, according to www.dredgepoint.org. A representative for LK Global Shipping was at Singapore General Hospital but declined comment when approached.

Representatives from the Embassy of China in Singapore were at the Singapore General Hospital to visit the survivors. Consul-General Wang Jiarong expressed his concern for the missing crew members and hopes that the authorities will do their best in the search and rescue operations.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that it was alerted to the incident at around 12.40am on Wednesday.



It said that the dredger was transiting in the westbound lane, while the tanker was leaving Singapore to join the eastbound lane in the Singapore Strait.

The MPA is leading the search and rescue operations for the missing people. Two tug boats have moved the dredger to an area near Pulau Senang for underwater search operations.

The RSAF conducts search and rescue operations

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday morning said the Republic of Singapore Navy Patrol Vessel RSS Fearless, the Republic of Singapore Air Force Super Puma Rescue 10 and Chinook, Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force craft have been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations.

Patrol boats and a helicopter have also been deployed. Ships have been told to be on the lookout for the missing crew members, and to navigate with caution near the accident site.

There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

The latest incident comes just after a United States warship, the USS John S. McCain, collided with an oil tanker, Alnic MC, in Singapore waters off Pedra Branca on Aug 21. Ten US sailors were killed and five others were injured in that incident.


2 bodies found after tanker and boat collide in Singapore waters; 3 still missing
Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: Divers recovered the bodies of two of the five crew members that were missing after a tanker and a boat collided, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Wednesday (Sep 13) afternoon.

Search and rescue efforts for the three remaining crew members are ongoing, MPA added in its update at 4pm local time.

The collision took place at about 12.40am on Wednesday, between Indonesian-registered tanker Kartika Segara and Dominican-registered dredger JBB De Rong 19 about 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters' Islands.

The dredger capsized and is currently partially submerged. Of the 12 crew members – 11 Chinese nationals and a Malaysian – on board the dredger, seven were injured while five were unaccounted for. None of the tanker's 26 crew members was hurt.

The seven injured men were rescued by the Singapore Police Coast Guard and taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital at 2.45am. Five have since been discharged, a hospital spokesperson confirmed, adding that one remained admitted while the other was under observation.

VESSELS HAD BEEN WARNED: MPA

The dredger had been transiting the westbound lane while the tanker was departing Singapore joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait when the incident occurred, MPA said.

MPA said that Singapore’s Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) had provided "timely navigational information and warnings to both vessels to take preventive actions to avoid a collision".

"While the vessels acknowledged the information provided by the Singapore VTIS, the collision was not averted," MPA said.

The tanker reported damage to her starboard bow but is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage, the agency said.

There was no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait, MPA said, adding that there have been no reports of oil spills or disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

MPA is investigating the incident.

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

About 200 personnel are involved in the search and rescue operations.

MPA is leading the search and rescue operations and the relevant Singapore agencies are assisting it, it said.

A Super Puma helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) began searching from the air at 7am.

Assets from the Singapore agencies now include two Super Puma, two Chinook and a Fokker 50 from the RSAF, as well as 15 vessels from MPA, the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force; and seven vessels from PSA Marine and POSH SEMCO.

MPA said it has notified the Indonesian Rescue Coordination Centre about the incident and they have deployed five vessels to help with search and rescue efforts in Indonesian territorial waters.

Mr Andrew Tan, chief executive of MPA said: “MPA expresses our deepest condolences to the families of the two deceased and wish those injured a speedy recovery.

"We will continue with our search and rescue efforts to find the remaining three missing crew members,” he added.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen noted that "another collision" has taken place in the Singapore Strait, and said he hoped that the missing seamen could be found.

Wednesday's collision came less than a month after the US Navy warship USS John S McCain and oil tanker Alnic MC collided in Singapore waters. Ten US sailors were killed in the accident, which is being investigated.
Source: CNA/mn


Vessels deployed to search for five missing sailors
Fadli Fadli The Jakarta Post 13 Sep 17;

Indonesian authorities have stepped up efforts to assist ongoing search-and-rescue operations for five foreign sailors reported missing after their dredger collided with an Indonesian tanker in waters off Singapore on Wednesday.

The five sailors, which comprise four Chinese and one Malaysian national, were among 12 sailors on board the Dominican-registered dredger JBB De Rong 19, which collided with Indonesia’s Kartika Segara tanker at 12:40 p.m. local time.

The Maritime Security Board’s (Bakamla) maritime operation director Commodore Rahmat Eko Raharjo said the agency’s KN Belut Laut national vessel had departed from Batam, Riau Islands, for the search operation. It would join with two patrol vessels dispatched by the Riau Islands Water Police and five patrol vessels of the Batam Customs and Excise Office to look for the missing crew members.

“We are going to conduct a search-and-rescue operation and anticipate a possible oil spill incident in the waters because the accident involved an oil tanker,” Rahmat told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The oil tanker was joining the eastbound lane to depart, while the dredger was transiting in the westbound lane when they collided in the Singapore Strait, the city state’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said.

The 26 crew members of the Kartika Segara oil tanker did not sustain any injuries. The tanker was reportedly damaged on her starboard bow, but was stable and is currently anchored at the Eastern Anchorage. Meanwhile, the dredger capsized and is currently partially submerged. (afr/ebf)


Bodies of two vessel collision victims found
The Jakarta Post 14 Sep 17;

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) of Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, said on Wednesday that two of the five sailors reported missing during a collision between the Indonesian-flagged MV Kartika Segara tanker and the Dominican Republic-flagged JBB De Rong 19 dredger had been found dead.

Basarnas Tanjungpinang head Djunaidi said the bodies of the two sailors were found inside the JBB De Rong 19 at around 1:04 p.m. local time.

He said Basarnas Tanjungpinang personnel helped move the bodies of the two sailors to the Singaporean Coast Guard office.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Djunaidi said, Basarnas Tanjungpinang, the search-and-rescue mission coordinator, continued to carry out operations to find the three other sailors who remained missing.

“So far, nine victims have been found, seven of whom survived the incident,” he said as quoted by Antara.

It was earlier reported that the number of people on board the vessel was 12. They comprised 11 Chinese citizens and one Malaysian national. It was later learned that seven of them managed to escape the incident.

The oil tanker was joining the eastbound lane to depart, while the dredger was transiting in the westbound lane when they collided in the Singapore Strait, the city state’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said.

The 26 crew members of the Kartika Segara oil tanker did not sustain any injuries. The tanker was reportedly damaged on her starboard bow, but was stable and is currently anchored at the Eastern Anchorage. Meanwhile, the dredger capsized and is currently partially submerged. (ebf)


Update 2 - Collision of TANKER KARTIKA SEGARA and DREDGER JBB DE RONG 19
MPA Release 14 September 2017

1 As of 6pm (Singapore time), multi-agencies search and rescue (SAR) efforts to locate the remaining three missing crew of Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 are still ongoing. The dredger had collided with Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA in Singapore territorial waters at about 12.40am (Singapore time) on 13 September 2017, despite collision warnings issued by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

2 Of the two crew members who were warded in hospital yesterday, one has since been discharged and one remains under observation at the Singapore General Hospital.

3 Today, the MPA continues to lead the SAR operations with support from relevant Singapore agencies. The total surface search area was expanded to 250 km2 from 130km2 on 13 September 2017. The aerial search area has also expanded to 2701km2 from 770km2.

4 The SAR, supported by assets from the Singapore agencies, include five aircraft from Republic of Singapore Air Force, 21 vessels from MPA, the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force; and eight vessels from PSA Marine and POSH SEMCO. To date, about 280 personnel have been involved in the SAR operations.

5 The Indonesian Rescue Coordination Centre is working with Singapore authorities to assist the SAR operations with 10 vessels in Indonesian territorial waters.

Update 1 - Collision of TANKER KARTIKA SEGARA and DREDGER JBB DE RONG 19
MPA release 13 Sep 17;

1 As of 4pm (Singapore time), divers have recovered two bodies out of the five missing crew of JBB DE RONG 19, following the collision between Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA and Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 that occurred in Singapore territorial waters at about 12.40am (Singapore time) on 13 September 2017.

2 At the point of collision this morning, 12 crew members were onboard JBB DE RONG 19. Seven were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, out of whom five have since been discharged. Search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the three remaining crew members are ongoing.

3 The incident took place in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait. Prior to the collision, Singapore’s Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) had provided timely navigational information and warnings to both vessels to take preventive actions to avoid a collision. While the vessels acknowledged the information provided by the Singapore VTIS, the collision was not averted.

4 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) continues to lead the SAR operations with support from relevant Singapore agencies. Assets from the Singapore agencies include two Super Puma, two Chinook and one Fokker 50 from Republic of Singapore Air Force, 15 vessels from MPA, the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force; and seven vessels from PSA Marine and POSH SEMCO. About 200 personnel are involved in the SAR operations.

5 MPA has notified the Indonesian Rescue Coordination Centre about the incident and they have deployed five vessels to assist with SAR in Indonesian territorial waters.

6 Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, “MPA expresses our deepest condolences to the families of the two deceased and wish those injured a speedy recovery. We will continue with our search and rescue efforts to find the remaining three missing crew members.”

7 There have been no reports of oil spill or disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

8 MPA is investigating the incident.




Collision of TANKER KARTIKA SEGARA and DREDGER JBB DE RONG 19 in Singapore Waters
MPA Release 13 Sep 17;

On 13 September 2017, at about 12.40am (Singapore time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was notified of a collision between an Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA and a Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 in Singapore territorial waters, about 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters Island.

2 The dredger was transiting the westbound lane while the tanker was departing Singapore joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait when the incident occurred. The Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System had provided navigational information to both vessels prior the collision.

3 The dredger capsized and is currently partially submerged.

4 A total of 12 crew ─ 11 Chinese nationals and one Malaysian ─ were onboard the dredger at the time of incident. Seven of the Chinese nationals have been rescued by the Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) and transferred to the Singapore General Hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances for medical treatment. Five crew remain unaccounted for.

5 The tanker reported damage to her starboard bow but is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage. Its 26 Indonesian crew did not sustain any injuries.

6 MPA is leading the Search and rescue (SAR) operations and relevant Singapore agencies are rendering all assistance. Two MPA tug boats have moved the partially submerged dredger safely to an area near Pulau Senang for follow up underwater search operations. In addition, MPA has deployed three patrol craft to assist in the SAR operation and the Republic of Singapore Navy, SCDF and PCG have also deployed a total of seven vessels on scene to support the SAR.

7 A Super Puma helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force has commenced aerial search at 7am.

8 MPA has also issued navigational broadcasts for ships to look out for the missing crew and to navigate with caution when in the vicinity of the incident site.

9 There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

10 MPA is investigating the incident.


Last missing crew from ship collision on Sep 13 found, identified: MPA
Channel NewsAsia 10 Nov 17;

SINGAPORE: The search and recovery operations for the missing crew members following the collision between a dredger and a tanker in Singapore territorial waters on Sep 13 have concluded, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

In a statement on Friday (Nov 10), the authority said the body of the last missing crew member of dredger JBB De Rong 19 was found and identified on Nov 5.


The body was found inside the accommodation structure of the dredger by divers during salvage operations, MPA said.

As all 12 crew members on board the vessel are now accounted for, with seven rescued and five bodies recovered, search and recovery operations have concluded, MPA added.

The Dominican-registered dredger collided with the Indonesian-registered tanker Kartika Segara about 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters' Islands at about 12.40am on Sep 13.

The dredger capsized.

Source: CNA/ms

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Occupants of green buildings less prone to 'sick building syndrome': Study

SIAU MING EN Today Online 12 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE – Occupants of buildings with a Green Mark certification are less prone to fatigue, headaches, and irritated, dry or itchy skin, otherwise known as the “Sick Building Syndrome”, found a research study here.

Jointly conducted by the Building Construction Authority (BCA) and the National University of Singapore, findings from this study were revealed by the authority at the opening of the Singapore Green Building Week on Tuesday (Sep 12).

Conducted since 2014, the study analysed eight Green Mark and six non-Green Mark office buildings that are between three and 50 years old and looked at their Indoor Environment Quality. Those occupying the buildings were also surveyed over a week in each building.

The Green Mark scheme is used by the BCA to evaluate the environmental impact of a building’s facilities and operations.

Among the key findings, the study found that the green buildings helped create a healthier indoor environment as their higher performing filters were able to filter out fine particulates such as PM2.5 and bacteria more effectively than those in buildings without the green certification.

In the survey with occupants, those working in the Green Mark buildings were more satisfied with the temperature, humidity, lighting, air quality and indoor environment.

They were also less likely to experience the sick building syndrome, such as the unusual fatigue, headache, irritated, dry or itchy skin.

BCA said these findings will be used to refine future Green Mark schemes. For a start, this will be piloted as a new set of criteria for the Green Mark for existing non-residential buildings scheme for a year to improve their indoor environment quality. This could mean getting building owners to adopt smart control systems to operate the buildings and use highly efficient filters in air distribution systems and sensors to monitor indoor air pollutants.

A BCA spokesperson said as energy efficiencies improve, the BCA would like to also increase the weightage of other criteria such as building “smart and healthy buildings”, as part of the entire Green Mark scoring system.

“That will motivate the designer, the building owner, the developer to place greater emphasis on indoor environmental quality issues,” he said.

In addition, BCA is working with the Health Promotion Board to develop a new Green Mark scheme to encourage better infrastructure and health-related programmes at the workplace to encourage healthy practices among the office occupants.

For example, the physical design of the building could encourage occupants to take the stairs instead of the lift or organise workshops related to people’s health and well-being.

More details will be announced in the middle of next year, but the BCA hopes to get about two to four companies to participate in the initiative for a start.

To allow building owners to benchmark their building’s energy performance against buildings of similar types, the BCA said they will publicly disclose the energy performance data of commercial buildings of owners who have voluntarily agreed to do so starting this week. This covers about three-quarters of all commercial buildings in Singapore.

The information will be available on BCA’s Building Energy Submission System website and Singapore’s open data portal data.gov.sg.


New initiatives under Green Building Masterplan to emphasise healthier work environments
Rachel Phua Channel NewsAsia 12 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: Some employees in Singapore can now look forward to working in a healthier environment as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) updates its 3rd Green Building Masterplan.

Several new initiatives were announced on Tuesday (Sep 12) at the opening of this year’s Singapore Green Building Week, including changes to the Green Mark scheme.


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ADDITIONS TO GREEN MARK SCHEME SERIES

BCA will conduct a one-year pilot on a new set of criteria for the Green Mark for Existing Non-Residential Buildings certification, which was last revised in 2012. The new measurements will include greater requirements for building owners to improve their indoor air quality, as well as adopt "smart" control systems to operate their buildings.

For example, building owners will be encouraged to use high-efficiency filters in air distribution systems and sensors to monitor indoor air pollutants.

Higher-tier green mark projects will also have to conduct a post-occupancy evaluation survey to see how they can improve occupants’ comfort.

Changes to the scheme for existing non-residential buildings comes after the two major green mark schemes for new buildings were amended in 2015 and 2016.

The BCA also wanted to update the scheme for existing non-residential buildings after it conducted a study with the National University of Singapore on indoor air quality.

The research project found that buildings certified with a green mark had lower bacteria and pollutants in the air as compared to those not certified. And through a survey, they found that occupants in the Green Mark buildings were more satisfied with the indoor environment compared to their counterparts and less likely to experience "sick building syndrome" – when people feel unwell after staying inside a building for a period of time.

A new Green Mark scheme that is focused on improving the health of occupants through the office interior and wellness programmes offered will also launch in mid-2018.

The BCA is working with the Health Promotion Board to develop this separate scheme, which looks to encourage building owners and companies to offer “good designs such as the provision of energy efficient lighting and office equipment, as well as the development of workplace health-related programmes”, the BCA said.

MAKING SURE BUILDINGS ARE ENERGY-EFFICIENT

But the BCA is not forgoing the need to help buildings in Singapore consume less energy.

To encourage more building owners to go eco-friendly, data on how much energy each commercial building consumes is now publicly available on BCA’s online platforms. For now, the data was given voluntarily, but BCA said what will be made available already covers 76 per cent of all commercial buildings in Singapore.

The BCA is looking to make it mandatory for all commercial buildings to disclose their energy performance in “a couple of years”.

It hopes that this data platform will encourage building owners to reduce their building’s energy use through “peer pressure”. And by comparing how much energy other similar buildings use, it could spur them to think of more energy-saving – and hence, cost-saving – methods.

The BCA also revealed that it is developing a roadmap on how Singapore can create more energy-efficient buildings, or more specifically: low-rise buildings that produce more energy than it consumes; medium-rise buildings that generate as much energy as it uses; high-rise buildings that require much less energy than it usually does.

The roadmap will reveal what are some of the technologies building owners and tenants can tap on to green their buildings and how Singapore can enhance these equipment.

For example, the BCA is working with its partners on how to develop the country’s solar panel capabilities so that their efficiency levels improve and how more of these renewable energy sources can be installed around the island.

The BCA said it has not fixed a date to launch the roadmap yet. It also has yet to set a target on the number of such energy-efficient buildings it wants Singapore to host, but the agency said it hopes to have a “good mix of demonstration projects” by 2035.

MORE GREEN EXPERTISE NEEDED

A new target on the number of green building professionals BCA hopes to train has also been set – 25,000 green building professional by 2025. The earlier target was 20,000 by 2020.

So far, about 16,000 professionals, managers, executives and technicians have been trained by higher learning institutes, the BCA Academy and industry associations, the BCA said.

To produce more green-minded individuals, some of the professions BCA is looking at are: architects that can design energy-efficient buildings; M&E engineers that know how to design devices that save energy; facilities managers that can operate a green building; researchers and developers with know-how on "smart" technologies.

With more green building professionals, Singapore will also be able to move up the global construction sector’s value-chain, as the country has the talent to produce eco-friendly building products – particularly those for places with tropical climates - that are also in demand internationally, BCA said.

More details about the manpower plan will be given during the Construction Industry Transformation Map, which will be released in October, BCA added.
Source: CNA/aa

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Malaysia: Mantanani Island may become Sabah's next marine park, says Masidi

AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 12 Sep 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Mantanani Island, a well-known site for recreational diving off Kota Belud, and its surrounding areas have been identified as Sabah’s next potential marine park.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state government aims to turn 10 per cent of Sabah’s waters into protected marine areas.

He said the government has identified several potential areas to achieve that goal.

“The United Nations has invited us to gazette at least 10 per cent of our ocean and we have gazetted 7.6 per cent, with the current size of protected marine parks in Sabah at two million hectares.

“I’ve asked my assistant minister (Datuk Pang Yuk Ming) to form a committee to look into the possibility of increasing the size of these marine parks so that we can comply with the 10 per cent requirement.

“We have ample amounts of areas that we can eventually turn into parks and we have identified several. This reflects the good conservation policies that the state government has started and continued to implement.

“We are actually looking at Mantanani and we are seriously considering turning (Mantanani) into a protected marine park,” he told reporters after launching the Maritime Environmental Security Workshop 2017 here, today.

Masidi, however, said this would take some time as the plan depends on the government’s engagement with local residents, district office, and other relevant quarters.

He said the ministry is in the midst of preparing the necessary technical requirements before bringing the proposal to the state government’s attention.

“It’s not something we have to do in a hurry. We have to take into account the current status of Mantanani as an agriculture area but we believe the island is an excellent candidate to be considered as a marine park,” he said.

Last year, the state government gazetted Tun Mustapha Park off Kudat. Spanning approximately 898762.76 hectares, it is Malaysia’s largest marine park.

Sabah’s two other marine parks are Tun Sakaran Marine Park off Semporna and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park off Kota Kinabalu.

Speaking on the maritime environmental security workshop, Masidi described the conference as important to Sabah.

He also extended his gratitude to the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for organising and sponsoring the event.

The four-day workshop, which starts today, will see participants made up of ministers, officers, and military personnel from the US and Malaysia, as well as non-governmental organisations presenting talks and ideas related to the subject.

“This workshop reflects the strong partnership between Sabah and the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. I am pleased that the US embassy has acknowledged Sabah’s uniqueness in the field of marine protection.

“I believe participants will make use of this workshop to share views and find ways to protect our marine treasures while getting input on suitable methods to be used in Sabah to allow us to increase our ability to protect marine resources,” said Masidi.

Meanwhile, US Embassy’s environmental officer Todd Hannah said the US was committed to global environment conservation.

She also said the workshop speaks volume of the importance of Malaysia’s relationship with the US.

“That is why we have this sustain this relationship and we will continue to have such relationship with Malaysia on environmental issues.

“One of the most important outcomes of this workshop is to convene like-minded people in the same room to have conversations on the way forward.

“On resources, the US has to make a decision on where to put its money and the fact we are here doing this (workshop) now shows how important our relationship is with South East Asia, including Malaysia."

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