The US National strategy for maritime security 2005 and its geopolitical implications on Malaysia

This article is written on the assumption that Malaysia---a major littoral state to the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea---may experience a delicate diplomatic situation resulting from the preemptive character of the US National Strategy for Maritime Security 2005---NSMS 2005---which could motivate rivalry, provoke conflict, and induce war in Southeast Asia. The assumption is such because the US is now perceived to be using NSMS 2005 as its latest geopolitical tool to contain China, to safeguard its energy security geopolitics, and in anticipation of maritime-based resource war in the region. The crux of this article, therefore, is based on the question how will Malaysia maintain its balanced relations toward the US and China in the context of this geopolitical framework. As such, this article attempts to analyze the preemptive character of NSMS 2005, to ascertain the China Factor contained in it, and to examine the impacts and implications of this maritime strategy on Malaysia’s future relations with the US and China. This analysis hopes to enlighten the Malaysian government on the geopolitical consequences of NSMS 2005 and to facilitate the Malaysian government with the appropriate insights on how to mitigate these consequences through foreign policy initiatives at the national, bilateral, and multilateral levels

The excessive complexity of national marine governance systems - Has this decreased in England since the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009?

With successive Government restructuring and the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act in 2009, this paper revisits a previous set of organograms created in 2006 indicating the government departments with responsibilities relating to the marine and coastal environment in England in 2014. The 2009 Act presented an opportunity to harmonise marine management by simplifying the complexity in England through a radical restructuring of marine governance; however this is apparently not the case with many overlapping responsibilities still existing. This paper provides an overview of the 2009 Act, discussing some of the significant changes like the creation of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), examines the current structure of marine management in England following its enactment and highlights the continued overlaps in jurisdiction, responsibilities and complexity of the government agencies with a marine remit. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Developing an Effective Enforcement System for a Marine Reserve in the Pitcairn Islands

This paper details how monitoring and enforcement of the Pitcairn Island's exclusive economic zone could be effectively undertaken for a relatively low level of expenditure. It is important to note that there is no such thing as perfect enforcement, although, in general, the greater the funds available, the closer to perfection an enforcement system is likely to get. This paper does not attempt to detail how near-to-perfect enforcement might be achieved because establishing such a system would be far too costly to be a realistic policy option. Rather, it outlines the most important steps that could be taken to create a robust enforcement system and reviews some affordable technologies that could be deployed to support it. Creating a marine reserve and deploying these relatively low-cost options would protect Pitcairn Islands' exclusive economic zone far better than it currently is, and far better than the vast majority of oceans worldwide. These actions would distinguish the United Kingdom as a world leader in responsible stewardship of the marine environment

MASTER OF THE SHIP, MANAGER AND INSTRUCTOR

The master of the ship is the person on the board who has the qualification and the necessary certificate of competency for running a maritime transport ship. He is the one who takes the ship into administration from the ship-owner, he is the only leader, the legal and direct chief of the entire crew, being invested with authority upon all the members of the crew. The master fulfils the attributes and displays his activity according to the legal laws of his flag, of the marine regulations and of the international conventions. In all the relationships which he establishes with physical or juridical people, the master represents the ship-owner, in a double condition, as an officer and as a commercial manager. In this paper, it is analysed the situation of the ship masters, the relationships which these masters have with the crew and the problems which appear during their voyage. At the end of the paper there are proposed measures to increase the quality of the training of the ship masters, to solve the situations connected with the members of the crew.commander, manager, instructor, crew

The Business of Piracy in Somalia

This article argues that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to control Somali piracy for four reasons. First, Somali piracy is a land-based problem and naval control mechanisms are not changing the incentives for pirates. Second, improving Somalia's anarchic political situation will not necessarily stop piracy. Our analysis demonstrates that piracy is a business which improves with a more stable operating environment. Third, piracy is organized criminal activity, and like other organized crime groups will be difficult to control, especially if it becomes embedded in state structures. Finally, we argue that few of the relevant players have any real incentives to alter their behaviour.Piracy, Somalia, Law Enforcement, Organised Crime, EU Atalanta

S-100 Overlays: A Brave New World?

Marine Information Overlay (MIO) is a generic term used to describe chart and navigation related information that supplement the content that is already contained in an ENC. This includes both static and dynamic information such as tide/water level, current flow, meteorological, oceanographic, and environmental protection. With the advent of S-100 and S-101, there is increased interest in providing a wide variety of ‘new’ overlay information. This paper provides a brief history of S-57 MIOs. Examples of navigational and non-navigation MIOs are given in terms of how currently used, by who, and for what purpose. Recommendations are provided for making a transition from S-57 MIOs to S-100 overlays that can be used with the ‘Next Generation’ ENC. More specifically, what has been proposed, how should they work, who will provide, and some future challenges/opportunities related to implementation