November 9, 2013
Malaysia needs a comprehensive Polar policy
by BA Hamzah[1]
[The redline shows the Northeast Passage and the yellow line indicates the traditional international shipping route]
Climate change and global warming has become an immutable part of our life. Our earth is rarely warm, humid, stormy and wet as it is today. For many, the weather has been unkindly punishing especially at sea and for those living by the coast and along riverbanks.
One significant impact of global warming is the rapid melting of the Arctic ice sheet. Once free of the ice sheet, the maritime Polar Route (PR) is open 24/7 to navigation. The PR will become the preferred alternative shipping route to the current strategic waterways like the Suez Canal, Panama Canal and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore for ships from Europe to East Asia and vice versa.
The Polar Route, especially the Northern Sea Route (NSR), will transform the global structure for seaborne trade with geopolitical implications that Malaysia can only ignore at its own peril.
The NSR will hug the Siberian coastline as it approaches the Kamchatka Peninsula before turning to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and southern part of China. Apart from Russia, benefiting most from the opening of the Arctic Routes are trading giants like Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea. The Polar Route will also benefit India and Southeast Asian countries, the Nordic states including Permanent members of the Arctic Council.
Bypassing the Suez Canal and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, the Polar Route can cut sailing times by 12-15 days from the current sailing times. According to the Financial Times, “a ship travelling at 21 knots between Rotterdam and Yokohama takes 29 days if it goes via the Cape of Good Hope, 22 days via the Suez Canal and just 15 days if it goes across the Arctic Ocean.”
Besides, free of pirates the route is safer. Insurance charges will also be more attractive. Translated into dollars and cents, the saving could be considerable. For example, in 1992 a study showed that the Japanese shipping industry could save up to US $ 1 billion annually by going through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, based on a saving of 3 ½ days.
Besides being shorter, the Polar Route are easily navigable. The new generation container ships may not meet the 3.5 metre Under Keel Clearance (UKC) in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore and too large to pass through the Suez and Panama Canals.
Two weeks ago, a Chinese- flagged vessel sailed from Dalian to Rotterdam via the NSR. The 3,800-mile journey days, is quicker by fifteen days. Yong Seng was not the first to test the waters; two years ago, some forty- six vessels flying different flags have successfully plied the same route.
Most pundits agree that the PR will raise the international profile of Russia globally. An ice- free NSR will also expedite the opening of Siberia, rich in hydrocarbon resources and other strategic minerals. This will further boost the economic standing of nuclear- armed Russia seeking to redeem itself following the disastrous Cold War era (1945-1989).
Barring unforeseen circumstance, the current strategic alignment between China and Russia should remain intact. This stable relationship will greatly reinforce the political-strategic stature of China as an emerging global maritime power. For China, the Polar Route provides the much-needed additional access route for its brown- water Navy and merchant marine. In geo-strategic terms, with the additional access route, it becomes more daunting for any power to contain China militarily.
Driving the Arctic dynamics is geopolitics. This explains why some Asian countries like India, China, South Korea and Singapore are exerting themselves to become members of the Arctic Council.
To benefit fully from the opening of the Polar Route, Malaysia too needs to design a comprehensive polar policy. One that encompasses all aspects, including rethinking over new routes for international trade, developing new ports, the status of the Straits of Malacca as a sea-lane of communication, its pollution and other environmental security concerns as well as the larger geostrategic concerns arising from the new Polar dynamics.
Joining the Arctic Council will be a wise move. There is already precedence: in 2011, Malaysia acceded to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty for scientific research purposes. With slight changes, the existing domestic legislation (including the proposed Bill on Antarctica) could be used for the Arctic. An excellent opportunity to steer Malaysia into the new mainstream of international trade would be missed should policy planners continue to procrastinate.
[1] A keen student of maritime geo-strategy. He can be contacted at: bahamzah@pd.jaring.my
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
BA Hamzah recommends that Malaysia joins the Arctic Council and there is no reason to delay our participation as we are a trading nation. The same can be said about the South China Sea issue which can be dealt with via ASEAN and not bilaterally.–Din Merican
Sadly, such issue seems distant for those bunch of ignorant clowns in Putrajaya – issues of no immediate impact or threat to the next 5 years of their robbing this nation’s coffer will be furthest from their mind… let’s discuss price of real estate in London…
as one of a group we can move more than alone. knowing our politicians, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they secretly sell the South China Sea islands to the chinese. is that what happened to the disputed rock island down south?
we need more competent people to handle foreign policies not these clowns in Putridjaya.
http://www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/#
I wonder what role Malaysia can play there; as observer? I’d say Oh yes, if the government can send QUALIFIED people to work on projects there and not pay millions to be the first to pray from the North Pole. the magnetic compass might not show the direction of Mecca. better take a Proton Saga along, the first islamic car with built-in gyrocompass.
music I remember from the 70s:
Reeper, they’d probably parachute a Proton and claim endurance of Proton in Arctic conditions. Last time they didn’t put correct oil and engine froze. Proton will see a big market out there selling to the Polar bears.
seriously? do you believe your bolehlander ‘leaders’ have the brain, let alone mental faculty, to even grasp globalcentric issues? Yourbolehland’s participation of antartic scientific research thus far, was to airdrop a mitsubishi-cloned proton junk (they should airdrop that junk into putajaya instead and claim the first in the world). Your ‘leaders’ are only good at analyzing airasia stewardess’ tight miniskirt, openly robbing the national coffer, marrying young sexy tv personalities…now THAT, they are the true jaguh kampong with a voice and action to prove.
Orang Malaya: That person became Executive Chairman of multi-billion ringgit Tabung Haji okay….
Is humanity doomed?
The impact of Arctic melt down will be nothing compared to the Fuck-u-shima melt down which should be the world’s number one immediate and major concern.
It is bizarre that none of the world’s mainstream media is giving any coverage on the disastrous impact of the radiation leakage and the amount of radioactive wastes still seeping out from there.
Why are they not putting the pressure on the errant countries to either shut down or upgrade the safe worthiness of all their aging nuclear reactors?
And why are they not exposing the ulterior motives of the agenda behind the world’s leading government leaders of their intention to impose carbon taxes when it is obvious that their objective is not about the incentive to reduce carbon emission but to replenish their bankrupt treasuries.
If the world leaders are really concerned and sincere about saving planet earth, their number one priority will be the transfer of green technologies to populous developing countries like China, India and Brazil to allow them to reduce their carbon foot prints.
SiangMalam, i thought he was a used car salesman who pulled a gun on a customer and refused to refund the customer. I heard he’s also a failed businessman but became the leader of the Mat Rempits. Rewarded handsomely for support shown by Mat rempits, oh Malaysia