ASIAN SHIPOWNERS’ FORUM RELOCATION NOTICE

With effect from 1 April 2012, the ASF Secretariat Office premises would be relocated to the following address:

10 Anson Road

#16-18 International Plaza

Singapore 079903

Tel:  +65 6325 4737 (Unchanged)

Fax: +65 6325 4451 (Unchanged)

Email : information@asf.com.sg

We look forward to receiving you at our new premises.

At the 9th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia held on 14 July 2011 in New York, the ASF Secretary General was honoured to have the opportunity to share our grave concerns over the current situation.

The ASF informed the Contact Group about our disappointment at the lack of concrete action and plan by the UN or any country in making headway to eradicate this threat.

While acknowledging the need for capacity building efforts to solve the root cause of the problem which is on land, the ASF also voiced our considered opinion that governments and flag states should deploy effective counter-piracy mechanisms to mitigate the problem. This could be in a form of an UN Peacekeeping Counter Piracy Task Force that would give armed escort, protection and much needed confidence to the hundreds of ships and seafarers plying those high risk areas.

On 28 June 2010, the ASF addressed a letter to both Mr E Mitropoulos, Secretary General of IMO, and Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of UN voicing the grave concerns about the situation of piracy and ship hijacks is escalating and spreading beyond the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin into the vast Indian Ocean.

In the letter, the ASF strongly urged the members of UN and IMO to do all they can in their power to counter the state of lawlessness restoring safety of Maritime Navigation in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. A list of possible actions essential for formulating a lasting solution was outlined for the consideration of UN and IMO.