August 6 ------ The Marine Electronic Highway (MEH) Information Technology System for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which had been managed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has been handed over to the Government of Indonesia in a formal ceremony in Batam, Indonesia, marking the final stages of a demonstration project and the potential move towards a full-scale MEH project in the Straits, under the ownership of the littoral States.

IMO Secretary-General Mr. Koji Sekimizu formally handed over the Batam MEH IT System to Mr. Leon Muhamad, Director General of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST), Indonesia, during a special ceremony on Friday (3 August 2012),which was also attended by representatives from ministries and agencies of Indonesia, the Local Government of Batam, the Marine Department of Malaysia, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea, the International Hydrographic Organization, Nippon Maritime Center and the shipping industry.

The Batam MEH IT System is one of the major deliverables of the MEH Demonstration Project, which has been under implementation since 2006, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) (World Bank),with IMO as the executing agency. The Republic of Korea, through the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), also provided a grant amounting to US$850,000, which was used to develop and establish the system. The overall objective of the demonstration project has been to determine whether a full-scale MEH in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore can be economically justified and made financially feasible. The project is a co-operative arrangement with the three littoral States of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, in partnership with the Republic of Korea, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

Source: worldmaritimenews.com