Port Authority of Singapore hosts the 14th Co-operation Forum from 31 July to 1 August 2023

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is hosting the 14th Co-operation Forum (CF) from 31 July to 1 August 2023.
 
The CF is one of the three pillars of the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The Co-operative Mechanism, which was launched at the IMO-Singapore Meeting in September 2007, focuses on navigational safety and environmental protection in the SOMS and includes two other pillars, namely the Project Co-ordination Committee[1] and the Aids to Navigation Fund[2].
 

 
The success of the Co-operative Mechanism is due in part to four founding principles, namely (i) the three littoral States of the SOMS will abide by international law, including UNCLOS; (ii) the three littoral States will work together and arrive at a consensus on the effective management of the Straits; (iii) the Co-operative Mechanism will be open and inclusive; and (iv) there is shared interest between the littoral States and the user States in enhancing the navigational safety and environmental protection of the Straits.
 
Chaired by Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, the 14th CF will discuss topics impacting shipping including maritime autonomous surface ships, maritime decarbonisation, ballast water management and oil spill management. Proposals to enhance navigational safety in the SOMS will also be discussed.
 
The CF is hosted annually on a rotational basis among the three littoral States and the previous edition was hosted by Malaysia in July 2022.