News
World War Shipwrecks in Southeast Asia – threats of marine pollution and looting
The event brought together policy makers, international and national experts associated with maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH), and representatives of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Viet-Nam in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The seas of Southeast Asia contain over 2 million tons of sunken vessels, including 500 World War II shipwrecks, 100 of which are oil tankers. After more than 75 years of corrosion, fuel leaks from the warships are expected to reach their highest levels within next decades but scientists do not yet have enough data to forecast when exactly or where individual leaks will occur. Besides, many of the vessels have also been the target of looting and commercial exploitation.
Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director and Representative of UNESCO Jakarta, and Jorge Soares Cristovão, Minister of Youth, Sports, Art and Culture of Timor-Leste launched the meeting, which explored the current status of research on World War shipwrecks and related issues, with experts from different parts of the world.
World War shipwrecks have been at the bottom of the ocean for 70-80 years since the battles, and are reaching the point of imminent catastrophic collapse. It is important to understand how many vessels have been lost and their status, as it is now only a matter of time for the fuel oils and other chemicals to be released into the marine environment
The gathering increased awareness among local authorities of the urgent need to protect UCH, in particular World War II shipwrecks. It also fostered regional and international cooperation to identify key actions for safeguarding UCH, and to address the threats of marine pollution and looting in Southeast Asia.
Many countries do not have infrastructure, human resources and overall capacity, as Underwater Cultural Heritage is not a priority. We need to gain support from various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. Shipwrecks are time bombs. We need specialists from various disciplines to investigate the vessels, to examine their effects on the marine environment, and to develop relevant infrastructure in the region
We start thinking about the impact of World War shipwrecks on the environment, to research, to build standards, to learn to solve oil leaking from the vessels, analyze Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO), and encourage local communities to protect the shipwreck sites
It is time to see and address the pollution generated by World War II shipwrecks. UNESCO’s 2001 Convention is the basic and fundamental legal instrument to extend our vision, commitment and network in the field of Underwater Cultural Heritage management
The meeting concluded with participants’ recommendations for future strategies and policy frameworks. It underlined World War Underwater Cultural Heritage’s potential to support community livelihoods, and the need of dialogue and cooperation to identify, protect and preserve it for future generations, as it holds invaluable knowledge of historical, scientific, archaeological, social and cultural significance. The recommendations encouraged to consider the ratification of the UNESCO 2001 Convention, to address the growing natural and human threats.
We need to further assess shipwrecks’ risks and effects on communities, and raise awareness of the issues, towards effective collaboration among ministries and ASEAN countries, to further develop inventories of World War Underwater Cultural Heritage and address future hazards posed by the vessels
As a young professional, I saw a great opportunity for intergenerational collaboration on Underwater Cultural Heritage. It is critical to raise awareness of its value, relation to our environment and link to community development. By engaging youth and communities, we can prevent together the potential environmental crisis
At the end of the workshop, participants visited the Maritime Museum of Indonesia and the Marine Heritage Gallery of the Ministry of Marine affairs and Fisheries, discovering artefacts from various underwater sites in Indonesia.
The event was organized in the framework of the 2001 Convention in South-East Asia and the UN Decade of Ocean Science, towards the completion of SDG 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
The meeting was supported by the UNESCO Secretariat of the together with partners: Salvage & Marine Operations (SALMO), the Ocean Foundation, Major Projects Foundation, Marianas Guardian and Waves Group.
