Sam Bateman

Environmental issues with Australian ports

Ports and shipping operations are under increased environmental scrutiny in Australia, particularly as so many of Australias ports and shipping routes are located in or near major environmentally sensitive areas. The environmental risks involved have been highlighted by the publicity given to shipping accidents. Environmental regulations over aspects of port operations, including ballast water management, dredge spoil and waste reception, are also becoming stricter. While port authorities have adopted stringent environmental guidelines, they remain concerned that the full impact of proposed new environmental regulations on maritime industry may not be fully understood. This paper discusses some of the issues involved with achieving a balance between environmental protection and the need to recognise the importance of seaborne trade to Australia and to maintain Australias competitiveness in international trade.

Maritime piracy in the Indo-Pacific region -- ship vulnerability issues

This paper describes the current situation with piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly off the Horn of Africa and in Southeast Asia. This situation may be aggravated due to the downturn in international shipping following the global financial crisis. This has led to surplus shipping capacity, crews paid off, lower profits, and ship owners seeking to cut costs. Many ships are laid up in anchorages prone to sea robbery, and there is a risk that ships might be less well maintained and operated. This paper also explains how some ships are more vulnerable to attack than others. Sub-standard ships are more likely to be successfully attacked than quality vessels. Issues are identified that might be addressed by the shipping industry and ship owners, as well as by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In addition to being a victim of piracy, the shipping industry could be adding to the problem by laying up ships in vulnerable areas, reducing wages and sizes of crew and employing sub-standard ships. This situation could be symptomatic of wider problems in international shipping that throw doubt on the effectiveness of current regimes for ship safety, security and marine environmental protection.

Lloyd's MIU Handbook of Maritime Security

Maritime Security Threats and Risks. Ship & Cargo Security. Port Facility Security. Ship Security Alert Systems, AIS, and Long Range Ship Identification and Tracking.

Perils of the Deep: The Dangers of Submarine Proliferation in the Seas of East Asia

Abstract Greater numbers of submarines are being acquired in the Asia-Pacific. This development poses challenges in the region for preventive diplomacy, maritime confidence building, and ensuring the safety of submarine operations. However, countries are extremely sensitive about submarine operations and meeting these challenges will be difficult. The article discusses technological developments with submarines and antisubmarine warfare and the implications for regional naval operations. It identifies the risks associated with increased numbers of submarines, particularly in the narrow seas of East Asia, and recommends measures that might mitigate the adverse consequences of submarine proliferation, including enhancing submarine safety. It concludes that there is a pressing need to start discussion of these measures in regional forums.

Shipping Patterns in the Malacca and Singapore Straits: An Assessment of the Risks to Different Types of Vessel

��� With the objective of improving the quality of assessments of the threat to shipping in the Malacca and Singapore Straits, this article provides an appreciation of the pattern of shipping traffic and of the types of vessel using the Straits. It is based on the notion that statements about the number of ships passing through the Straits on a per day, per month or per year basis obscure more important assessments about the relative vulnerability of different types of ship. Consideration must be given to the types of vessel, their routes and location. The paper distinguishes between through traffic transiting between the Pacific and Indian Ocean; local traffic operating between ports littoral or adjacent to the Straits; and other vessels, notably fishing vessels, working within the Straits. It identifies the types of vessel using the Straits that are most at risk.

Maritime security governance in the Indian Ocean region

ABSTRACT This paper considers arrangements for providing maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) at both the national and regional levels. The main requirement at the regional level is a mechanism or mechanisms for cooperation on maritime security concerns both between regional countries themselves and between these countries and the extra-regional countries that have a legitimate interest in IOR maritime security. At a national level the necessary capacity for providing maritime security includes arrangements for coordination between the various agencies involved and the operational capabilities for maritime law enforcement to provide good order at sea. The paper discusses the relative attributes of a navy or a coast guard to provide these capabilities. It concludes with ideas about how maritime security governance in the IOR might be improved.

Maritime security and port state control in the Indian Ocean region

Abstract This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Port State Control (PSC) regime in relation to ensuring the safety and security of international shipping against threats of piracy and maritime terrorism in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Responsibility for ensuring compliance with required international standards of safety and security rests primarily with the flag states of vessels, but in practice, effective compliance is verified mainly through the system of Port State Control (PSC). However, PSC appears ineffective in the IOR, including around the Horn of Africa, where acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships are prevalent. Significant numbers of sub-standard ships operate in this region. These vessels are more likely to be successfully attacked or involved in illegal activity than quality ships. This situation could be symptomatic of wider problems in international shipping that throw doubt on the effectiveness of current regional regimes for ship safety, security and marine environmental protection, including measures to prevent maritime terrorism and illicit trafficking in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related materials.

The Evolving Maritime Balance of Power in the Asia-Pacific : Maritime Doctrines and Nuclear Weapons at Sea

The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the hub of global geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic significance in the post-Cold War period. The rise of China and the resurgence of India will be the hallmark for the next 50 years. How this surge in power is accommodated by the incumbent powers like the United States and Japan, and how the new regional powers like China and India manage the power politics that emerge will be the key determinants of regional stability. This volume examines the national maritime doctrines as well as the nuclear weapons developments at sea of the four major powers in the Asia-Pacific, namely, China, India, Japan and the United States, to see if the evolving dynamic is a cooperative or a competitive one. In particular, the volume looks at the evolving paradigms of maritime transformation in strategy and technology; the emergent new maritime doctrines and evolving force postures in the naval orders of battle; the role and operations of nuclear navies in the Asia-Pacific; and the implications and impact of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and sea-based missile defence responses in the region.

Law and order at sea in the South Pacific : the contribution of the Pacific Patrol Boat project

Under the Pacific Patrol Boat (PPB) program, Australia has supplied twenty-two 31.5 m patrol boats to 12 island countries in the South Pacific. While the primary task of these boats is fisheries protection, they have also been used for a range of other national tasks, including search and rescue, medical evacuations, hydrographic surveying, anti-smuggling and sovereignty patrols. As well as the boats themselves, the program comprises resident maritime surveillance and technical advisers, crew training and through-life logistic support. The PPB program has proven to be highly successful with the benefits of the program exceeding those originally sought by the Australian Department of Defence in establishing the program.

Compulsory pilotage in the Torres Strait: overcoming unacceptable risks to a sensitive marine environment

This article explores arguments about the international legality of compulsory pilotage in the Torres Strait. Although the measure has been opposed by some user states because the Torres Strait is a strait used for international navigation, Australia and Papua New Guinea believe compulsory pilotage is necessary to overcome the risks posed by unpiloted shipping passing through the hazardous waters. The good health of the marine environment in the Torres Strait is essential, particularly for the well-being of indigenous peoples of the area. The article concludes that compulsory pilotage in Torres Strait reflects the obligations of both the user and border states to preserve and protect the marine environment and has support in international law.