BATAM (Indonesia), Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have asked the Lloyds Joint War Committee to review its risk assessment which categorised the Straits of Melaka and Singapore as a high risk zone for piracy and terrorism. A joint statement issued at the end of their meeting here today said the categorisation was made without consulting and taking into account the existing efforts of the three littoral states to deal with the problems of safety of navigation and maritime security in the waterways.
The straits, through which 30 per cent of the world's trade and 50 per cent of the world's oil supplies pass yearly, have been placed on Lloyds' list of war-risk areas. Analysts said the categorisation could lead to insurers raising premiums or underwriters pulling out their insurance cover for shipping in the straits.
The two-day meeting at Tiru Beach Resort on the outskirts of Batam reaffirmed the sovereign rights of the littoral states over the two straits.
"The primary responsibility over the safety of navigation, environmental protection and maritime security in the Straits of Melaka and Singapore lies with the littoral states," the ministers said.
They acknowledged the littoral states should address the issue of maritime security in a comprehensive manner, taking into account piracy, armed robbery and terrorism, trafficking and smuggling of people, weapons and other trans-boundary crimes. In this task, the ministers welcomed the assistance of the user states, the relevant international agencies and the shipping community in capacity-building, training and technology transfer and other forms of assistance.
[ Malaysian Foreign Minister] Syed Hamid told the news conference the meeting was a clear sign that the three nations viewed safety and security of navigation in the straits seriously.
Singapore's Yeo said it was a timely meeting because of the global concern on the issue of maritime security in general and in the safety of the sea lanes in Southeast Asia in particular. He said there was a need to strike a balance between the interests of the littoral states and those of the user states.
"This (Straits of Melaka and Singapore) is a major arterial lifeline of the global trade...we've a major responsibility here, for our own interest and that of the international community's," he said. |