JAKARTA, Aug 4 — Officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore recently met to discuss efforts to enhance maritime safety and protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS).
The meeting of the 46th Technical Tripartite Experts Group (TTEG), spanning two days, concluded on Thursday (Aug 3) and was organised by the Malacca Straits Council (MSC).
The agenda discussed included exchanging information on the progress of cooperation mechanisms and reporting on their developments, according to a statement by Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation.
The Indonesian delegation, led by the Directorate General of Sea Transportation, announced their country's active participation by discussing and finalising new initiatives regarding the development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for the maritime safety of SOMS.
Captain Budi Mantoro, the Director of Navigation and part of the Indonesian delegation, stated that inputs were provided to enhance Project 14, a new initiative regarding the Aids to Navigation Virtual, and Project 15, concerning the development of SOP for managing incidents involving containers falling into the sea.
"We also discussed plans to review the ship routing system and ship reporting system, as well as further discussed Project 13 initiated by the MSC as a continuation of TTEG or Part Two of the 46th TTEG Meeting held in January and February 2024," he said.
According to Budi, the SOMS has always functioned as one of the strategic and critical maritime routes in the world due to its high volume of traffic, long distances, and geographical location, posing continuous challenges for the three coastal countries to ensure maritime safety, environmental protection, and maritime security.
However, the commitments achieved at the meeting are not only directed towards the three involved countries, but also towards international organisations, user countries, and other stakeholders as stipulated by Article 43 of UNCLOS, he stated.
The Indonesian authorities also expressed appreciation for what was agreed upon by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, leading to the establishment of TTEG in 1977, given that the three countries have maintained good cooperation in matters related to SOMS for almost five decades.
"TTEG has proven to be an effective platform for implementing coordinated actions to ensure safety, cleanliness, and security of navigation in SOMS," he said.
— Bernama
