Taiwan and Southeast Asia Ocean Economy News Highlights Apr.17th- 28th

Taiwan Ocean Economy

• Marine Conservation Agency Promotes “Taiwan Friendly Fishing Action Plan
  The Marine Conservation Administration of the Ocean Affairs Commission of the Executive Yuan, in line with the “Tribute to the Sea” policy, promotes the “Friendly Fishing Action Plan.” 78 fishing spots have been announced and opened for fishing throughout Taiwan.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/Gd65e3
• British envoy discusses green energy with the mayor of Taiwan’s Taichung
  * John Dennis, the British representative of Taiwan, said the British Office in Taipei is collaborating with Taipei, New Taipei, and Kaohsiung to help them transform them into “low carbon cities” and hope to do the same with Taichung.
  * Lu noted that many international investors had sought opportunities to collaborate with Taichung on wind power projects.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/L0O569
• Taiwan opposes Japan’s decision to dump radioactive water into the sea
  * The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over Japan’s decision to release radioactive water from the disabled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, as it could affect the environment and the safety of people in neighboring countries.
  * MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou emphasized that marine resources are important assets shared by the global community. It is every country’s responsibility to ensure the quality of the oceanic environment.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/Gd65jp
• The first turbine installed today
  * Taiwan’s first offshore wind turbine with local content has been successfully installed on April 23, off the coast of Yunlin county.
  * Local companies manufactured the transition piece and tower of the wind turbine.
  * The installation marked an important milestone in the localization of the offshore wind power industry in Taiwan.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/E20gVk
• Offshore Engineering Center(OEC) at Maritime Technology Innovation Center breaks ground on 27th April.
  The Offshore Engineering Center features a deep water tank equipped with facilities that simulate various oceanic scenarios similar to Taiwan, creating a testing site for different marine technologies to turn the center into a certification body that is recognized internationally.

Ocean Economy in Southeast Asia

• Vietnam’s largest wind power plant goes into operation
  * Trung Nam, Vietnam’s largest wind farm, officially came into operation in Loi Hai and Bac Phong Communes, Thuan Bac District of South-Central Ninh Thuan Province.
  * This Trungnam group project, combined with a 204 megawatt (MW) solar power plant, forms a unique complex of solar and wind energy farms in the nation and Southeast Asia.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/V3x07Y
• Philippines touted as 2nd best investment destination for renewables in SE Asia
  * HSBC Global Research said the Philippines had a relative score of 2.5, second only to Vietnam, which got 2.8, but better than Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
  * The Philippines has a medium range of solar or wind resource availability of up to 3,000 GW but had a “fragmented market” with local players such as Aboitiz Power, Manila Electric Co., and AC Energy Corp.THE Philippines is the second best investment destination for renewable energy (RE) in Southeast Asia, with resources that can generate up to 3,000 gigawatts (GW), and a “highly-liberalized” active spot market, according to a report from HSBC Global Research.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/KxWdvM
• This 185-foot sea-cleaning sailboat collects up to 3 tons of ocean garbage per hour
  * The “Manta” is a giant, plastic-eating catamaran that collects trash on an industrial scale. And it’s powered by renewable energy.
  * The “Manta” is built from low-carbon steel. The Manta is a virtuous energy recovery unit wrapped up in a 185-foot sailboat design. It features a custom electric hybrid propulsion system enabling it to travel at controlled speeds of between two and three knots, the optimum speed for waste collection.
  * The Manta will primarily focus on coastal areas in and around the estuaries or mouths of the 10 most polluting rivers globally, including China’s Bohai Sea and the Ganges, which run through India and Bangladesh.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/R6VLgr
• Consumers and businesses hate plastic waste, but problems remain
  Plastic pollution is never far away in Southeast Asia. It’s in the street, the rivers, the forests, the beaches, and almost anywhere else you care to look. According to the 2018 United Nations Environment Program analysis of plastics production, demand, and waste, half of the world’s plastics produced in Asia, and around 40% of all plastic is consumed in the Asia-Pacific region. The region is at the heart of the global plastic waste crisis.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/zbapj7
• How a Vietnam – Malaysia fishing MOU could ease the wider South China Sea dispute
  * Malaysia and Vietnam intend to sign a memorandum of understanding that experts say could eventually help ease a decades-old, six-party dispute over sovereignty in the resource-rich South China Sea.
  * If the memo helps both sides, their cooperation could eventually go deeper and enable them to resist the sea’s militarily strongest claimant, China — or work alongside it — some analysts believe.
  * If Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia can work together, then at that time, China will have no other option but to cooperate with these Southeast Asian claimants.
  For more information at https://reurl.cc/yn8DV6