Assalamualaikum w.b.t and a very good morning to all.
It gives me great pleasure to be here and indeed to welcome all of the IALA Councillors, delegates and the IALA Secretariat to the 60th IALA Council Meeting. On behalf of the Malaysian Government I would like to thank the IALA Councillors and we feel very honoured that Kuala Lumpur has been chosen as the host for this meeting. Additionally, Malaysia is also chairman of ASEAN for this year and I am proud to tell you there will be many more world class meeting to be organise in Malaysia just like this meeting today.
Ladies and Gentleman,
Since its establishment way back in 1957, the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation & Lighthouse Authorities or IALA, is the international forum for technical experts in the field of marine navigation to discuss and debate before providing recommendations by producing guidelines and standards for the aids to navigation worldwide. This has been done with the objective of ensuring movements of vessels are safe, expeditious and cost effective while protecting the marine environment.
Recognising the importance of the role IALA plays, Malaysia became a member through the Light Deus Board Peninsular Malaysia, since January 1962 and since then, has taken part in many IALA forums, seminars, symposiums, meetings and conferences worldwide. Malaysia’s role in IALA has become more significant since 2002 when we were elected to be Council members of this esteemed association and our status as Councillor remains until today. I believe Malaysia will remain committed to play an important role as a Councillor of the IALA and will seek for the same seat in the next conference at Busan, Korea in 2018.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Aids to Navigation is an important tool for Malaysia, especially in the management of busy waterways such as the Strait of Malacca, being one of the busiest stretches of water in the world used for international navigation. Currently, more than 80,000 vessels transit the strait each year, carrying more than one-third of the world’s trade. In 2004, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) launched an initiative to protect vital shipping lanes around the world with the aim of enhancing safety, security and environmental protection. The Straits of Malacca and the Straits of Singapore were chosen to be the first of this initiative where the enhancement of Aids to Navigation in both straits have been identified as one of the key element to ensure they remain safe, clean and open to navigation. Presently, there are more than SEVEN HUNDREDS (700) Aids to Navigation installed nationwide and EIGHTEEN (18) of them installed in the Strait of Malacca are identified as critical and require high level of efficiency and reliability.
Although Malaysia follows very closely the development of new technology available for aids to navigation, at the same time we are also concerned about the need to preserve and restore historic aids to navigation. The preservation and restoration of historic aids to navigation are very high in the list of priorities set by Malaysia. Currently, there are more than SEVEN (7) lighthouses in Malaysia aged more than 100 years old, and initiatives to restore these lighthouses have been carefully planned. Pulau Undan Lighthouse which was built in 1880 is currently undergoing restoration and expected to be completed at the end of this year. Uniquely, this project is not only funded by Malaysia but also from many international contributors through the Aids to Navigation Fund, under the Cooperative Mechanism on the Safety of Navigation and Protection of the Marine Environment in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to to inform you that today we will be launching a book, titled, “Lights by the Sea, Volume 2 – Beacons in the Strait”. This book is an initiative taken by the Light Deus Board in promoting its role of establishing essential aids to navigation, and provides readers with the general background of the role taken by Malaysia together with international cooperation in providing safe navigation through its’ light-beacons especially in the Straits of Malacca. The book was written by a team of experts in the Marine Department Malaysia, led by Capt. Mohamad Halim, the Director of the Safety of Navigation Division.
Additionally, I believe that under the able stewardship of all its Council members, IALA has successfully helped in enhancing navigational safety in the waterways GLOBALLY. I am confident that this good work by IALA will continue in the future and I ASSURE YOU that Malaysia will always be part of IALA and will continuously support its agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
WITH THAT, I am proud to announce that Malaysia will host the 13th International Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Symposium in 2016 together with IALA at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from the 8th to 12th of August 2016. A dedicated Web Page for the symposium will be launch to provide more informations on how delegates or exhibitors would be able to register to attend the symposium. I sincerely hope that the IALA members will support the VTS Symposium and looking forward to see many of you again next year in Kuala Lumpur with bigger capacity in all aspect. LETS MAKE THIS A HUGE SUCCESS FOR THE INDUSTRY.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the IALA Secretariat, the Marine Department of Malaysia and the Light Dues Board Peninsular Malaysia for their hard work in organizing and making this meeting a success. I sincerely hope that the Meeting will be conducted smoothly with fruitful deliberations and discussions to further the working objectives of IALA.
Last but not least, while you are in Kuala Lumpur please spare some time to visit the fourth best shopping city in the world voted by CNN and do enjoy our warmest TRULY ASIA hospitality. With that, with the verse of Bismillah hirrahmanirrahim, I hereby declare open the 60th IALA Council Meeting.
Thank you.
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