3-1 In today's session we have heard reports on the current state and problems in construction of three specific management systems: the Marine Electronic Highway (MEH), a marine traffic management system in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore; the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA); and a marine information network that will be essential in preventing disputes.

　

3-2 To support the marine environment in a sustainable fashion, scientific surveys and monitoring will be needed to enable accurate assessment of the impact of human activity on the marine environment. Only when these tasks begin will the security of the ocean start to improve. Further information is needed on how PEMSEA conducts monitoring of the marine environment.

　

3-3 Sharing information among developing countries is difficult for a number of reasons, and so far no examples exist of successful projects of this kind. Nonetheless PEMSEA is pressing ahead with the development of an information management system.
In PEMSEA, long-term environmental policies are set for each demonstration site, and data are published and shared with each site. This system has made information sharing easier at the local level, and an online database has been launched. Information can be shared among all sites simply by entering it on one of the system's Web pages.
Monitoring in Xiamen has been ongoing for 15 years, providing a gauge of how much the water quality has improved as a result of the management system. At the very least, water quality has ceased to deteriorate. Similar water-quality monitoring is also practiced in the Philippines, providing political representatives with appropriate scientific data.

　

3-4 The GMA process is being pursued using funds from a Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The IMO guides the construction of systems for global environmental monitoring and assessment and the formulation of measures to gather and assess data using those systems. This is a project in which the specialists of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) can play a vital role. GESAMP is working on developing a new pool mechanism, in which the names of several hundred scientists are pooled and specialists are selected from the pool. Although 90% of these are Western scientists, Dr. Chua represents East Asia as an extremely important figure in this effort. I believe it is possible to form a single group in this region and then merge that group with the GESAMP pool.

3-5 The importance of Maritime Domain Awareness has been described. Can the Maritime Domain Awareness be deployed as an environmental/ecosystem monitoring system?

　

3-6 Maritime Domain Awareness covers both the environment and security, as it deals not only with marine terrorism and other threats to the rule of law but with environmental threats as well. Although the system does not appear to offer a database feature, it does at least provide linkage.

3-7 The risk of terrorism and piracy is acute in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. If there is a terrorist incident, we must detour around Lombok. Also, ultra large crude oil carriers (ULCC) because of their size have to detour around Lombok. Unfortunately, both navigational support mechanisms and sea-lane information on Lombok is incomplete.

　

3-8 The ISPS code is a revolutionary advance, initiated by the IMO as a new international security system. Encompassing features such as warning systems and an Automatic Identification System (AIS), the ISPS code is scheduled for launch on July 1, 2004. Maritime authorities as well as the shipping world are assiduously striving to ensure that they meet the ISPS code. AIS equipment will have to be bought for this system, so certificates of compatibility will have to be acquired.
The MEH project must be capable of handling information on piracy and armed robbery at sea. I believe the ability to register ships and obtain information on their navigational activities will give the system the transparency it needs. Maritime authorities will know what is happening and where, improving security and boosting efforts to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea. I also feel that it is important to recognize the proactive impact MEH will have on marine safety.

　

3-9 Clearly, we are seeing a strong trend toward increased cooperation between governments on monitoring systems. Although none of the presentations dealt with NGOs, NGOs need to act more.

　

3-10 The contribution of NGOs varies from country to country. In the Philippines, NGOs play a major role, participating in everything from program and strategy development to execution and administration of programs. Much the same applies in Thailand and Vietnam.

　

3-11 To restrain costs, we can use resources already at our disposal. The Regional Marine Rescue Coordination Center enjoys a close relationship with coast guards and navies. I believe it is quite feasible to make use of this regional framework.

　

3-12 There is no need to begin by building new systems. Decisions will be made at the regional level. If a region decides to adopt the system, a subcommittee of the IMO can examine the details. System integration is essential.
MEH should proceed in three stages. First, data centers are established in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia and integrated into a central computer system. At the same time, a navigation management center is introduced. Data can be used for a wide range of activities, including environmental monitoring as well as navigation management.

3-13 How can economic incentives be used to build awareness of environmental and security issues? If the data used to build systems has a security value or can be used either to enhance or to compromise security, understandably, coastal states tend to place restrictions on the data gathered. If the data in question are involved in security concerns, coastal states are unlikely to divulge them even if the system builders clearly indicate that they will be used for navigation purposes only, and may well refuse to allow passing ships to take such data. One possible way of offering assurances is to have the data collected by the IMO, as this would strongly indicate that the data are to be used for the common good of the international community. Unfortunately this approach does not address the problem of what the end user does with the information. Unless the data can be somehow modified to restrict the range of uses to which they can be applied, coastal states are unlikely to permit such data to be gathered.

　

3-14 I'd like to see more discussion of economic incentives. If we look at pollution, local governments and other sub-regional bodies should be able to gather data and supply the information to domestic authorities without any problems. Programs such as these should yield economic benefits.
However, if the data are gathered on a country-by-country basis, the matter is bound to be viewed from a national security perspective. At this stage it is unrealistic to expect to gather all data from all countries. For example, even if data of this kind are collected by an international organization, each country would clearly have to sign off on the documents permitting the data to be shared, which is unlikely. If the data are to be viewed from a security perspective, participating countries must be encouraged to take a long-term view transcending conventional approaches. This will take confidence-building measures, which will need plenty of time, but it must be done. Once confidence-building exercises begin, opportunities will open up. In the 1990s we tried to obtain satellite data from Brunei. Despite two months of negotiations with the police and other security agencies, we were turned down. We were able to obtain the same data from Bangkok without incident. The problem in Brunei was that the civil servants did not know that the satellite data had been declassified. The unfortunate fact is that information that is involved with security and therefore highly sensitive is also often extremely useful in protecting the environment.

　

3-15 Confidence-building measures need to start at the bottom and work up. The issues closely-related to exclusive economic zones (EEZs) are hydrographic, scientific and military surveys. While hydrographic surveys are clearly of benefit to navigational safety, it is advisable to obtain coastal states' understanding that hydrographic surveys are a form of scientific survey. Disagreements about military surveys are also significant.