Ladies and Gentlemen,

　

7. The coastal area is the interface between the land and the sea. As stated in the document "Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia" prepared by PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia) and 12 participating Governments and other stakeholders; more then half the world's population lives within 60 km of the shoreline and this could rise to three quarters by the year 2020. Characterized by high biological productivity and biodiversity, coastal areas are home to at least 13 coastal systems and are governed by physical, chemical and biological processes. The vast living and non-living resources of the ocean provide primary resources for industrial development and contribute to the development of maritime trade and livelihood to millions of coastal inhabitants. The seas also provide a continuous supply of goods - fish, oil, gas, minerals, salt, construction materials and services such as the shoreline protection, sustaining biodiversity, water quality maintenance, transportation, recreation and tourism.

　

8. It went on further to state that coastal areas are centers of human activity and means of livelihood. Because coastal areas are preferred sites for human settlements and urbanization, severe conflicts arises from multiple use and competition for the limited land and sea resources by various stakeholders. The increasing population exerts pressure on the environment to provide adequate resources and rapid urbanization adds stress to existing physical and social infrastructures, compounding the environmental problems.

　

9. The marine and coastal environment is also threatened inter-alia by pollution, introduction of alien species, overexploitation fishing resources and destructive fishing practices.

　

 Ladies and Gentleman

　

10. In Malaysia, various laws have been enacted to control marine pollution, namely:

　

11. To deal with the threats of oil spills from thousand of oil tankers plying the Straits of Malacca, the Department of Environment (DOE) formulated its first Oil Spill Response Plan in 1976 known as The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan for the Straits of Malacca (SOMCP). With intensified development activities of Malaysia's offshore petroleum resources and increase in tanker traffic in the South China Seas, the Government formulated another Oil Spill Contingency Plan for South China Seas (SCSCP) in 1989. The Contingency for the Straits of Malacca and that of the South China Sea were integrated and together they constituted the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP).

　

12. The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan was formulated to deal with oil spill in Malaysian waters including the 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to meet the following objectives:

　

13. The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan is coordinated by the National Oil Spill Control Committee. The Committee, chaired by the Director-General of Environment Malaysia, comprises of eighteen (18) members from other related government agencies and oil industries.

　

14. The Plan details out various operational procedures, amongst others: notification and reporting, oil spill investigation, security against liability, communication, sample collection, safety, public relations, claim, environmental and property damages, use of dispersants, salvage and transfer of cargo, temporary disposal of oily waste, training and review.

　

15. As environmental problems arising from oil spill rarely affects one single nation, the need for regional cooperation to control hazards to the marine environment have been recognised by the Government since the early seventies. In this regard several arrangements were under taken such as;

　

16. The Traffic Separation Scheme, endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation in 1977 was adopted by three littoral states namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore is geared for the orderly flow of vessels with an under keel clearance of at least 3.5 meters at all time during the passage through the Straits of Malacca to reduce the risk of collision in congested and converging areas (Tan, 1987). The Scheme which came into force in 1987 also provides for one-way routes for opposing east-bound and west-bound traffic, at a constant speed of twelve knots to prevent in-line collision.

　

17. As for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore Revolving Fund, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1981 between the Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Malacca Straits Council for the Japanese Non-Governmental Associations to establish a revolving fund of four hundred million yen. The Fund enables the three littoral coastal states to take immediate action either independently or jointly against any spill caused by ships whether accidental or intentional.

　

18. In 1981, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore formulated the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Combating Oil Spill in the Straits of Malacca and Straits of Singapore. This SOP was formulated after the auspicious of Revolving Fund for the Straits of Malacca and Straits of Singapore.