The Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF) has expressed its strong concern at the continuing attacks on merchant ships and urges the world’s navies to increase their protection of ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean.

“The situation has become a serious crisis, one that deeply affects seafarers and their families and the carriage of world trade, and while we are grateful for their protection, it would seem that the rules of engagement are not effective to stop and punish the attackers”, said Mr. SS Teo, the SNEC chairman.

George Chao, the SILC Chairman said: "The vague executive order issued by the President of the United States is only adding to the confusion, by apparently seeking to restrict the ability of shipowners to free their seafarers from kidnap while not offering anything in return that would ensure the protection of our seafarers.”

ASF Chairman Kenneth Koo has called on the world’s governments to seek a realistic and final solution to this crisis.

"It is clear that any lasting solution will only be found on land, not at sea, but yet there seems to be very little that is being done on land in Somalia by the world’s governments to stop the activities of these pirates.”

The ASF noted that despite recent indications of a gradual recovery of the world economy, it is clear that this might not yet be sustainable.

Mr. Yasumi Kudo, Chairman of the SERC said, “The situation remains difficult, and we call upon the Panama Canal Authority to reassess the apparent need to increase Panama Canal tolls at this particular time.”

The ASF expressed its deep concern over the proposals being made on seafarer rest hours in the draft revisions to STCW that will be discussed at the diplomatic conference in Manila in June.

Mr. Li Shan Min, the SC Chairman said “The proposals made so far do not reflect the reality of the shipping industry. There are times during short term peak workloads when seafarers must be able to continue to work for safety and exceptional operational reasons or to comply with port authority requirements”.

The ASF agreed that it is essential that the final text of the STCW revision contains the ability for administrations to grant exceptions to stipulated daily rest hours while retaining the stipulated weekly limits in order to ensure the ship’s crew is adequately rested.

The members of the ASF once again gave their full commitment towards the protection of the environment, recognizing in particular the importance of the reduction of GHG emissions.

Koo said: “The protection of the environment is the most important issue that our industry must handle in order to build a sustainable future. It is essential that we give our utmost towards developing new concepts and ideas, as well as to work towards continuous improvement of our existing practices.”