Tax waiver extended to enhance Singapore port's attractiveness

By Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia
08 January 2009

SINGAPORE: The government is extending a waiver on tax for the purchase of Singapore-flagged vessels.

The waiver of withholding tax on overseas interest payments to finance the vessel purchase will be extended for another five years.

Previously, the waiver applied only if two ships were purchased. But now, a single vessel of 40,000 net tons or more will qualify for the waiver.

The waiver extension is aimed at increasing Singapore's attractiveness as a base for ship owners.

This and other measures were announced by Transport Minister Raymond Lim at a cocktail reception organised by the Singapore Maritime Foundation on Thursday.

Industry players welcomed the tax waiver extension, saying it will make Singapore a popular choice for ship owners once the global economy recovers.

S S Teo, chairman of Singapore Maritime Foundation, said: "Things are difficult and ship financing is not so easy to find, but eventually, ship financing will come back, and trade will resume. It's good that we announce such a scheme so that when shipping eventually recovers, we can capture the opportunities."

Singapore, one of the busiest ports in the region, has also reported an 11.1 per cent improvement in shipping tonnage to a record 1.6 billion gross tons in 2008.

The transport minister said this reflects the long-term strength of the fundamentals in the maritime industry.

"The long-term fundamentals of the maritime industry remain strong. There is no substitute for shipping as more than 90 per cent of world trade is transported by sea. Once the global economy improves, we can expect the maritime sector to resume its steady growth," he said.

And it looks like it is still full steam ahead for Singapore's maritime industry, with a slew of activities like the Singapore Maritime Week lined up for the year ahead.

- CNA/ir

Slowing global demand, excess capacity hit dry bulk shipping firms

By Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia
09 January 2009

SINGAPORE : Slowing global demand and overcapacity are sinking dry bulk shipping firms, with several seeking bankruptcy protection in the past three months.

Experts expect this trend to continue into 2009 as major economies like China slow consumption and financing becomes harder to secure in the industry.

The key Baltic Dry Bulk shipping index has dropped 92 per cent in the past year alone.

Falling demand for trade and difficulty in obtaining financing have led to an increase in the number of dry bulk ship operators and owners seeking bankruptcy protection.

Hiring rates have also plunged, with vessels which could have been hired out for US$200,000 a day in the past now going for between US$2,000 and US$9,000 a day.

And flagging demand is not the only stumbling block the industry is facing. An oversupply of ships in the dry bulk sector have kept rates down, and this could worsen next year.

Divay Goel, director, Drewry Maritime Services, said: "We would expect that even if demand were to pick up to historical levels which we saw in 2006 and 2007, we have a huge order book overhang in 2009 and 2010."

With the sector facing increasing financial difficulties, cancellations of ship orders and scrappings of half built vessels have increased.

While bad for shipbuilders, this could help the dry bulk sector in general to recover more quickly by trimming the number of excess vessels.

Christopher A Jones, director, Sale & Purchase, Island Shipbrokers, said: "With scrapping increasing and with cancellations in the new building order book, we expect that we will reach a more balanced fleet sooner than we expected."

Market watchers said the current correction is expected to bring dry bulk rates back to levels seen in 2004 before the boom seen in the past three years.

At that time, Cape-sized vessels were going for between US$60,000 and US$70,000 per day. - CNA/ms

PSA records rise in container volumes for 2008

12 January 2009 (CNA)

SINGAPORE: Singapore port operator PSA International on Monday reported handling record container volumes in 2008 despite the global economic crisis, but warned that this year was likely to be tough.

PSA said container volumes handled by its global terminals last year rose 7.3 per cent to 63.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), from the record of 58.9 million set in 2007.

Eddie Teh, group chief executive officer of PSA International, said: "2008 started strongly amidst the gathering storm clouds over the financial services industry and the major economies.

"By the end of the year, though, any lingering confidence that the major economic powerhouses would be able to stay out of a recession had been dashed and global trade worldwide had slowed to a crawl.

"Unless global economies are able to recover in the course of 2009 with the help of huge amounts of proposed spending by governments around the world, our industry will likely experience an extremely difficult year."

Teh said in a statement the port operator was preparing for the tougher months ahead, but gave no further details.

PSA International is owned by investment firm Temasek Holdings. It is one of the world's leading port operators with facilities in 16 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas, with a total capacity of 111 million TEUs.


- AFP/so

Rescued dugong at Underwater World celebrates 12th birthday

By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
13 January 2009

SINGAPORE: Twelve years after Gracie the sea cow was rescued off the shores of Singapore, she is now thriving at Underwater World Sentosa (UWS) and ushering in the new Chinese Zodiac Year of the Ox.

For the first time, visitors will be able to interact with Gracie in a meet-and-greet session to celebrate her birthday and the Lunar New Year.

The series of month-long activities include cake parties and dive sessions with Gracie.

Gracie was found in 1998 beside her drowned mother and was relocated to Underwater World Sentosa with the approval of Singapore authorities.

The sea cow, also known as the dugong, is a highly-endangered species similar in shape and size to the dolphin.

Strictly herbivorous, dugongs forage along coastal waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific region and feed by grazing on the beds of sea grass.

Dr Jeffrey Mahon, curatorial director, UWS, said: "Dugongs are a highly endangered species and instances of successful rehabilitation of orphaned dugongs are pretty rare worldwide.

"We are one of a handful of aquariums in the world to showcase a dugong and we worked really hard over the years to make sure Gracie is healthy and feels at home here. We want to share that joy with everyone on her birthday." - CNA/vm

The foam on the shore is really styrofoam

It tops list of junk washing up on coasts here. What's worse, it fragments badly and poses threat to marine life

By Shobana Kesava
Sep 16, 2007
The straits times

UNLIKE anywhere else in the world where cigarettes make up the bulk of junk collected on beaches, in Singapore it is styrofoam.

This material has been picked up in increasing amounts over the last five years, said Mr N. Sivasothi, coordinator of the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS).

The ICCS, an annual clean-up event, is the only concerted effort by volunteers here to analyse the kinds of trash that land up on local shores.

'Styrofoam is potentially much more damaging because it can fragment badly, whereas cigarette butts stay whole,' said Mr Sivasothi.

'The overwhelming problem we have is of plastic consumer items in the sea. As they break down, the chemicals that leach from them can be toxic.' Plastics are also a threat to birds, which are known to mistake them for food.

Preliminary data from this weekend's coastal clean-up saw styrofoam caking up the coastlines of both mangrove swamps and beaches.

While the most litter - all 29,801 pieces of it - was collected along the East Coast, Pulau Ubin Beach proved the dirtiest when factors such as the density of the litter collected by volunteers were factored in.

Mr Sivasothi attributed the problem at Ubin in part to dumping.

'There is a lot of heavy litter like oil drums and furniture parts. Offshore farms may have contributed to this load.'

The litter at the East Coast beaches was linked to heavy usage.

'Where there is recreation, there is rubbish,' he said.

skesava@sph.com.sg

S'pore and M'sia discuss environmental issues

Aug 25 2007 (TODAY)

The next emergency response exercise for chemical spills at the
Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing will be held by Singapore, tentatively
in November.

The Republic will also organise the first table-top emergency response
exercise at the East Johor Straits, tentatively in the first quarter of
next year.

Cooperation will also extend to preventing oil spills in the straits.
These were some issues discussed at the Annual Exchange of Visits between
the environment ministries of Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore's Minister Yaacob Ibrahim visited Malaysia on Aug 24 and 25 at
the invitation of his counterpart, Dr Azmi Khalid. Both were accompanied
by senior officials.

The progress of work carried out by the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee
on the Environment was reviewed, and issues discussed included the
regional transboundary haze and climate change. Both sides agreed to share
information - for instance, where it comes to mitigating climate change,
by focusing on energy efficiency and joint training programmes for
capacity-building.

Hearing date set for S'pore, Msia

Aug 21 2007 (TODAY)

The overlapping claims by Singapore and Malaysia over Pedra Branca and two
nearby islands, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, will go before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on Nov 6. A decision is
expected early next year.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying that his
country was ready with the necessary evidence and documents for the
hearing, reported The Star newspaper yesterday.

Both countries claim sovereignty over the islands and the matter was
referred to the ICJ in 2003. Singapore's consistent position is for it to
be resolved before the court.

Mr Abdul Kadir Mohamed, adviser for foreign affairs to the Prime Minister,
will lead the 50-man Malaysian legal team. The hearing is expected to take
two to three weeks.

Since the 1840s, Singapore has occupied and exercised full sovereignty
over Pedra Branca, which is located at the entrance to the Singapore
Strait.

10,000 'bombs' Found Meant For Fishing, Not Terror

Aug 15 2007 (TODAY)

JAKARTA - Police investigating a deadly blast in a coastal Indonesian town
have discovered 10,000 semi-finished bombs intended for fishing, they said
yesterday.

The blast in Pasuruan, East Java, killed three people and triggered
speculation of a link to Islamic militants, before police said explosives
intended for fishing caused the tragedy.

"In total, the evidence we have gathered includes 45kg of TNT, 8,000
detonators and some 10,000 bombs for fishing," national police spokesman
Sisno Adiwinoto said.

The bombs were found in a house near one destroyed by Saturday's explosion
and were intended for fishing as "they are packaged differently than those
of terrorists", he said.

The spokesman declined to give details about the possible source of the
TNT found in the town, which is about 50km south-east of Surabaya.

Officers have previously made multiple arrests in East Java of Islamic
militants accused of carrying out attacks, which led to the speculation of
a link to extremists.

Police are intensifying their investigations into the origins of the
explosives found at the site.

TNT, usually used by the military, has been known to be used in Pasuruan
since at least 2005. Previously, the dominant explosive used by fishermen
was potassium chlorate, calcium chlorate and calcium nitrate mixed with
other ingredients. Those materials could easily explode when shaken or
exposed to fire, high temperatures or pressure. - AGENCIES

New book on biodiversity in Singapore waters launched by NUS, ExxonMobil

By Teresa Tang, Channel NewsAsia
03 August 2007

SINGAPORE: A new book documenting creatures found in Singapore's waters was launched on Friday evening by Minister for the Environment and Water resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

Titled "Private Lives: An Expose of Singapore Shores", it explores almost 300 species of plants and animals.

The book was written by Professor Peter Ng from the National University of Singapore (NUS), which has collaborated with ExxonMobil on the project.

With S$600,000 set aside by the ExxonMobil Biodiversity Fund, NUS and ExxonMobil have also worked together on various projects to educate the public on Singapore's biodiversity. - CNA/ac

Singapore unveils first coral nursery to conserve underwater habitat

By Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia
30 July 2007 1754 hrs

SINGAPORE : Singapore now has a coral nursery.

It is located on the shores off Semakau Island on Singapore's southern coast.

Its aim is to conserve and grow the country's natural corals.

It's estimated that three-fifths of Singapore's reefs off its southern coast have been lost over the past 200 years because of rapid economic growth.

So a two-year conservation effort is trying to reverse that effect.

It's focusing on using fragments of naturally-broken hard coral to protect existing reefs.

The location was chosen because of the amount of light and oxygen available to the corals, so that they can grow and spawn.

The corals are placed about three metres under the seawater at mid-tide on the seabed.

Scientists hope that after a year, the corals can be transplanted to reefs around Singapore's southern coast.

They believe the coral will grow to form part of a new coral reef.

To maximise the chances of success, the coral is grown on the rubble and is then secured onto plastic platforms.

This will make sure they are protected.

"That will immediately remove the impact of sediments, which otherwise would accumulate around them. And we'll also secure the fragments so that they don't roll about. This helps to stabilise them and improve their chances of survival," says Professor Chou Loke Ming, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS).

And helping other species survive also has other benefits.

According to the project partners, chemical compounds are found in corals as well as in the organisms living on them.

These compounds can also be used to test for contaminants in developing drugs and vaccines.

So project organisers, NParks, NUS and Keppel Corporation hope more corals can lead to more opportunities to grow Singapore's bio-chemical industry. - CNA /ls

S'pore unveils first coral nursery to conserve underwater habitat

By Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia
30 July 2007

SINGAPORE : Singapore now has a coral nursery.

It is located on the shores off Semakau Island on Singapore's southern coast.

Its aim is to conserve and grow the country's natural corals.

It is estimated that three-fifths of Singapore's reefs off its southern coast have been lost over the past 200 years because of rapid economic growth.

So a two-year conservation effort is trying to reverse that effect.

It is focusing on using fragments of naturally-broken hard coral to protect existing reefs.

The location has been chosen because of the amount of light and oxygen available to the corals, so that they can grow and spawn.

The corals are placed about three metres under the seawater at mid-tide on the seabed.

Scientists hope that after a year, the corals can be transplanted to reefs around Singapore's southern coast.

They believe the coral will grow to form part of a new coral reef.

To maximise the chances of success, the coral is grown on the rubble and is then secured onto plastic platforms. This will make sure they are protected.

"That will immediately remove the impact of sediments, which otherwise would accumulate around them. And we'll also secure the fragments so that they don't roll about. This helps to stabilise them and improve their chances of survival," said Professor Chou Loke Ming, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS).

Helping other species survive also has other benefits. According to the project partners, chemical compounds are found in corals as well as in the organisms living on them.

These compounds can also be used to test for contaminants in developing drugs and vaccines.

So project organisers, NParks, NUS and Keppel Corporation, hope more corals can lead to more opportunities to grow Singapore's bio-chemical industry. - CNA /ls

Sentosa corals to get new home as work on integrated resort begins

By Teresa Tang, Channel NewsAsia
06 July 2007

SINGAPORE: Corals from Sentosa's Northern coastline are being permanently moved to a new home, to make way for the construction of the integrated resort on the island.

To ensure a successful migration, marine biologists are assisting Resorts World at Sentosa in a major conservation project.

Galaxia and Turbinaria are two hard corals having to leave Sentosa which has been their home for some five years.

The corals will first be chiselled off rocks, placed in an underwater holding site and then transported to the Southern Islands.

But not all corals will make the move.

Sonja Pans, Head, Environmental Management Services, DHI Water & Environment, said: "Our divers must be able to carry them around, which limits the size of the corals, maybe to 30 cm, maximum 50 cm in diameter.

"We chose them as well in terms of the suitability of survival rate, meaning how likely it is that the coral will survive... if they are really healthy, you want to take them."

Organisers say preserving corals like these means preserving a part of Sentosa.

Said Patrick Too, Deputy Director, Projects, Resorts World at Sentosa, "This is another one of our efforts for Resorts World to conserve whatever we can. We try to protect whatever's available right now, because this marine life is part of the heritage in Sentosa."

The coral conservation project complements the resort's tree conservation programme, to ensure the island's natural habitat is protected.

The coral project is expected to be completed by early August. - CNA/yy

Caribbean Turtles Said To Be Threatend by Catches, Trade

June 13, 2007 — By Reuters

THE HAGUE -- Turtles in the Caribbean are under threat from over-fishing and illegal trade, with almost all eggs laid in Guatemala taken by humans, a wildlife trade monitoring network said on Tuesday.

Traffic, comprising the WWF conservation group and the World Conservation Union, urged governments in the region to set tighter limits on catches to help safeguard the region's six species of turtles.

"Turtles may be adequately protected in some waters, but then travel into areas where they are at risk from unmanaged or illegal take," said Steven Broad, Traffic's Executive Director.

"Caribbean nations need to improve their cooperation to manage and conserve the region's turtles," he said in a statement issued on the sidelines of a U.N. Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in The Hague.

Traffic said overexploitation was a threat to the survival of the region's turtles, targeted for their shells, meat and eggs that are laid on beaches. All six species in the region are classified as endangered or critically endangered. "In Guatemala, virtually every turtle egg laid is collected for human consumption," Traffic said. By contrast, in Costa Rica, most eggs in trade were from a well-managed programme operated at Ostional on the Pacific coast.

It also said once vast breeding colonies of green turtles in the Cayman Islands had all but vanished.

And it quoted estimates that populations of hawksbill turtles in the Caribbean were at most 10 percent of estimated totals around the time Columbus sailed the Atlantic in 1492.

Traffic said that more than half of the 26 nations surveyed -- in Central America, island states in the Caribbean and Venezuela and Colombia -- had weak regulations on turtle catches.

Source: Reuters

Seacology's Top 10 Tips to Save the World's Islands

June 08, 2007 — By Seacology

BERKELEY, Calif. — With vacation time rapidly approaching, many people's thoughts turn to islands. Seacology (www.seacology.org), the world's premier non-profit organization with the sole purpose of preserving island environments and cultures, is pleased to provide our top 10 tips to enable travelers to enjoy islands while helping to preserve them.

Although islands conjure up images of pristine tropical paradises, they are actually among the world's most threatened ecosystems. In the last 400 years, over 50 per cent of all plant and animal species extinctions including an astonishing 90 per cent of all bird species extinctions have occurred on islands. Seventy- two percent of all the plant and animal extinctions ever recorded in the U.S. have occurred in Hawaii, a state that makes up less than two-tenths of one per cent of the nation's land area. In the last 400 years Lord Howe Island, a small island located in the Coral Sea between Australia and New Zealand, has had more bird species and subspecies extinctions than Africa, Asia and Europe combined.

Much has been written about global warming and climate change. Nowhere in the world will its consequences be felt more strongly than on islands, some of which will cease to exist if the seas continue to rise due to melting polar ice caps. The very isolation that until relatively recently protected island environments from encroachment now makes their ecosystems extremely vulnerable to damage from such outside threats as introduced species. The coral reefs and mangrove forests that surround most tropical islands are rapidly disappearing due to human interventions such as cyanide and dynamite fishing, sewage discharge, pesticide runoff, and dumping of waste from ocean liners.

Since 1999, Seacology has launched over 130 island-based projects, saving 1,741,062 acres of marine ecosystems and 98,507 acres of precious terrestrial habitat. Seacology projects provide a tangible benefit, such as an elementary school or a fresh water delivery system for island villagers, in exchange for the establishment of a marine or forest reserve.

You too can help save the world's islands! Seacology has compiled a list of the top 10 things you can do to protect islands and enjoy your island experience.

Spend your vacation at a true eco-resort. Many establishments claim to be environmentally friendly, yet confine their efforts to encouraging you to re-use your towel. If a resort is calling itself eco-friendly, ask why before making a reservation. Resorts such as the Jean Michel Cousteau Fiji Island Resort (www.fijiresort.com) and the accommodations at the Chumbe Island Coral Park (www.chumbeisland.com) provide a true, one-of-a-kind ecologically responsible vacation experience.

Take nothing but pictures. Do not collect shells or other wildlife as souvenirs of your trip. That shell you want to take might be the future home of a hermit crab.

Offset your carbon. Flying to an island releases large amounts of CO2 into the air. Compensate for the negative environmental impacts of your travel by contributing to Seacology's Carbon Neutral Fund. Your dollars will assist Seacology's efforts to support tree planting and clean energy projects on islands throughout the world.

Cool off responsibly. Many tropical islands are cooled by trade winds. Shutting off the air conditioning will not only save energy, it will also allow you to hear the breeze passing through the palm trees and the chirping of the birds. If conditions are sweltering and you must use the air conditioning, turn it off when you leave your room!

Respect and appreciate the diversity of island cultures and languages. The devastation of island cultures is happening at an alarming rate. One island alone - Papua New Guinea - is home to over 800 languages, many of which are spoken by only a small number of tribal elders. Before you go, learn a little about the culture and language of the island you plan to visit. The smiles that greet you when you use the local language will be a nice added bonus.

Don't destroy underwater life. When scuba diving or snorkeling, do not touch anything. Coral reefs are very fragile and take a long time to grow. You will also save yourself from nasty stings and bites by adopting a no-touch policy.

Avoid disposable products. Waste disposal is a critical problem on many of the world's islands. Do not bring disposable products on your vacation.

See an island's hidden treasures and get closer to nature. Reduce your impact on an island's environment and atmosphere by engaging in eco-friendly activities instead of motorized ones such as jeep or helicopter tours. Kayaking, biking, hiking and sailing are great ways to see the beauty of island ecosystems. You will also meet a lot more people when you are out of your car.
Support local economies, save fossil fuel and discover new flavors by eating locally caught and produced foods. Not only that, but the local coconut dessert is a lot fresher than the packaged cupcake made months ago in a country thousands of miles away.

Help launch new projects to protect island environments and cultures by supporting Seacology. Seacology works directly with island villagers to create initiatives that both protect precious habitats, and improve quality of life. In the words of Dr. John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences, "Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, Seacology gets more output than any conservation group that I've seen." Learn more about Seacology by visiting our website www.seacology.org.

Contact Info:
Duane Silverstein
Executive Director
Tel: 510-559-3505
E-mail: duane@seacology.org
Website : Seacology