The sea since long ago has been a precious sources to human kind for living and as a highway for commerce and war as well as a provider of food and other resources, supremacy of the sea was confined mainly to maritime powers as their national security policy, the concept of security has expanded from mainly military to the dimensions of political security, economic security, societal security and environmental security[1]Now the sea is not for gaining supremacy but focusing in global trade, international shipping and maintaining the maritime security as the result of globalization[2]. There are five features of sea importance grouped by Till those are, resource, transportation and trade, information exchange, area of dominion and as an environment[3]. In regard to sea strategic position, human exploration and exploitation significantly increasing correspondingly with modern security threats such as, territorial disputes, Transnational Maritime Crime, Harm to the Maritime Environment, Terrorism and Insurgency including the classic crimes; piracy and cargo theft[4], the threats to sea environment in long-term would cause global system systematically defective[5]. Therefore, Good order at sea ensures the safety and security of shipping and countries pursue their maritime interests and develop their marine, resources peaceful manner in accordance with international of law. This essay will try to elucidate the concept of good order at sea, then analyse the concept’s achievement in the Asia-Pacific region.
Good order at sea is an imperative model in international maritime security concept. It has been transforming into a new concept of maintaining sea from mainly states hegemony to multilateral cooperation among states to preserve global economic security and stability[6]. Good order at sea can be seen as an ideal concept to the maritime environment. This could be achieved in the frame of international law where countries should gain a guarantee of safety and permission to explore their maritime resources in the peaceful manner and environmentally friendly[7]. In order to achieve an ideal figure of good order at sea, till concludes several requirements for maintaining maritime security; improving the level of public maritime awareness, establishing effective maritime policy, and integrating maritime governance supported by navy and coast guard roles[8].
Increasing maritime awareness
Sea exploration essentially needed to be more examined in order to boost people interest and concern on sea. In fact, the research on sea has a lesser appreciation in public research than about outer space. Furthermore, public has slowly forgotten the sea importance to human life due to world’s climate and environment, which has an impact to their future directly[9]. Regardless of the real scientist and research expedition on sea, the only institution that familiar and conceptually handle the sea is Navy. They took the important role at sea not only because their duty but also impact to the world understanding of sea[10]. To enhance maritime awareness the Navy’s and Coast guard’s role as the most well equipped and experienced could be reliable enough to handle maritime research such as hydrographic and oceanic survey in regard to publicity and understanding on sea, even though that is not their primary duty[11].
Developing maritime policy
Two dimensions of interest in regulating the ocean space and resources contained in it, firstly, national interests and authority, secondly, the importance and relevance of it to the global rules on international waters, and therefore, it should be thought as a global system that manifested in the form of ocean policy implementation[12]. Till argues that ‘ maritime interests do not stop at the shoreline[13]‘ thus, all maritime aspect must be integrated into relevant land based – system to enhance an efficient and comprehend maritime policy.
Developing integrated maritime governance
The complexity of maritime environment must be highly considered. Involving all maritime agencies to manage maritime environment is essentially paramount to avoid overlapping maritime jurisdiction and the risks of tensions and disputes at sea. This cooperation is expected to resolve the disputes on jurisdiction among maritime agencies[14]. Government need to formulate policies that intent to develop an effective governance system for ocean management integrating and implementing national approaches to achieving holistic ocean/coastal management, the government, policy maker, scientist, naval and civilian should cooperate together for achieving an effective result in managing maritime issues[15].
The outcome of good order at sea in Asia pacific region
Maintaining the good order at sea undoubtedly great challenge for countries to accomplish and it is also hard to completely evaluate how far good order at sea prevail in the region particularly in this essay is Asia Pacific region. However, this essay will simplify the achievement by looking from the three requirements and several studies data on maritime security.
Some Asia pacific countries could probably be categorized success preserving good order at sea in term of their technology and economic capability such as China, Japan, Australia and Singapore. China’s economic growth has made china more cooperative in maintaining maritime cooperation security among Asian countries throughout several agreements with ASEAN[16]. Furthermore, China concerns that maritime geostrategic significantly support their economic growth, hence China looking forward to maintaining maritime security in their policy and navy intensively[17]. Meanwhile the others already in progress developing their policy proactively by promoting regional cooperation to their neighbor. For example Japan proposed ReCAAP ( Regional Cooperation agreement on combating piracy and arm robbery ), Singapore initiatively grow to be the centre of sharing information, communication and technology by proposing SMSC (Singapore maritime security centre) and Information Fusion Centre IFC and Multinational Operation And Exercise Centre MOEC[18].
On the other side, most of Asian countries still struggling to maintain their sea resources and policies although lack of funds and technology. Meanwhile, South East Asia countries becoming central public concern of maritime security because most of world shipping crisscross through this region, yet the states bordering it have diversity of political system which influence in maintaining good order at sea particularly in regard of delimitation and sovereignty issues[19]. To overcome this issue they have attempted to established regional cooperation in the form of sharing information, agreements and joint operation. The result of this could probably reduce the number of maritime threats but still considered lack of good order at sea because IMB data reveals several sea attack exist in the region[20]
CONCLUSION
As conclusion, Building up comprehensive and structured maritime environment in term of security is not an easy assignment to all maritime states particularly in Asian pacific. Understanding, economic support, political wills, public awareness, national interest and cooperation among states is important key point to be concerned. However, global impact by maritime threat should become high prioritize to be concerned. The good order concept clearly describes the points of maritime resources and requirements to create an ideal maritime condition in order to support prosperity of states and stability of the world security.
The maritime awareness is the most important point to all states in maintaining good order at sea. It will empower public and government as their fundamental assessment in implementing it on national policies which bring effective maritime policy which will integrate all maritime related agencies. Australia, Singapore and Japan might be considered prevail to maintaining good order at sea due to their economic, awareness and political support. By the way, other Asian pacific countries still on progress maintain the law and order at sea in corresponding to their internal problem such as politics, internal security, and social economics. Because of that, they should more active engage in regional and international cooperation and coordination as learning process toward better development.
Thayer, C. A, “ China’s International security cooperation with south east Asia”, Australian Defence Force Journal, vol. 1 no. 172, 2007, pp. 16-32
Till, Geoffrey,” A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower: What’s New? What’s Next? A View From Outside”, Defence Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2008, pp 240-257
Ahmed S. Rahman “ Fighting the forces of gravity – Seapower and maritime trade between the 18th and 20th centuries”, Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, Annapolis, 2010, pp. 28-48
Bradford, John F,” The Growing Prospects for Maritime Security Cooperation in Southeast Asia”, Naval War College Review, Vol. 58, No. 3, Naval War College, Newport, 2005 pp. 63-86
Till, Geoffrey, “ Maritime Strategy in Globalizing World”, Orbis, Vol. 51, No. 4, 2007, Pages 569-575 Elsevier.
Bateman, Sam, “ Good Order At Sea in the South China Sea”, in Shicun Wu and Keyuan Zou, eds, Maritime Security in the South China Sea: Regional Implications and International Cooperation, Ch. 2, pp. 16-36, Ashgate, England, 2009.
Bateman, Sam, “ International Solutions to Problems of Maritime Security – Think Globally, Act Regionally!”, Maritime Studies, Vol. 139, pp. 9-17, 2004.
Bateman, Sam, “ Building Good Order at Sea in Southeast Asia: The Promise of International Regimes”, in Kwa Chong Guan and John S. Skogan, eds, Maritime Security in Southeast Asia, pp. 97-116, Routledge, New York, 2007.
Qi, Xu , “ Maritime geostrategy and the development of the Chinese navy in the early twenty – first century”, Translated by Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein , Naval War College Review, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 46-67 Naval War College, Newport, 2006
Huang, V, “ Building Maritime Security in Southeast Asia: Outsiders Not Welcome?” Naval War College Review, Vol. 61, pp. 96-98, Naval War College, Newport, 2008
Bateman Sam, Joshua Ho and Jane Chan, Good Order at Sea in Southeast Asia, RSIS Policy Paper, Singapore, 2009, p. 1.
Bateman, Sam “ Coast Guards: New Forces For Regional Order and Security”, Asia pacific issues, No. 65, p. 4, East-West Center, January 2003
Bateman, Sam, Joshua Ho and Mathew Mathai, “ Shipping Patterns in the Malacca and Singapore Straits: an Assessment of the Risk to Different Types of Vessel”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 309-332, ISEAS, 2007.
Cribb, Robert and Michelle Ford, “ Indonesia as an Archipelago: Managing Islands, Managing the Seas”, in Robert Cribb and Michelle Ford (eds), Indonesia beyond the Water’s Edge: Managing an Archipelagic State, pp. 1-27, ISEAS, Singapore, 2009.
Hanich, Quentin, and Martin Tsamenyi, “ Managing Fisheries and Corruption in the Pacific Islands Region”, Marine Policy, Vol. 33, pp. 386-392, 2009.
Ho, Joshua, “ Managing Port and Ship Security in Singapore”, in Rupert Herbert Burns, Sam Bateman and Peter Lehr (eds), Lloyd’s MUI Handbook of Maritime Security, pp. 307-314, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2009.
Kraska, James, “ Grasping “ the Influence of Law on Sea Power””, Naval War College Review, Vol. 62, No. 3, pp. 113-135, 2009.
Murphy, Martin N., Small Boats, Weak States, Dirty Money: The Challenge of Piracy, Columbia University Press, New York, 2009.
Samuels, Richard J., “” New Fighting Power!”: Japan’s Growing Maritime Capabilities and East Asian Security”, International Security, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 84-112, 2008.
Sumaryono, Djoko, “ The Indonesian Maritime Security Coordinating Board”, in Robert Cribb and Michelle Ford, eds., Indonesia beyond the Water’s Edge: Managing an Archipelagic State, pp. 134-145, ISEAS, Singapore, 2009.
Thai, Vinh V. “ Effective maritime security: conceptual model and empirical evidence”, Maritime Policy & Management, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 147-163, 2009.
Till, Geoffrey, “ Great Britain Gambles with the Royal Navy”, Naval War College Review, Vol 63, No. 1, pp. 33-60, 2009.
Till, Geoffrey, Seapower, pp. 1-19; 286-321, Routledge, New York, 2009.