The delimitation of boundaries between states can be difficult when the issue of sovereignty and the entitlement to claim sea areas are concerned. The understanding and interpretation of the rule of law will always differ for the different nations involved as they seek to secure the maximum benefits for themselves by means they deem appropriate to their needs. Arguments put forward by each party and how these boundaries are drawn are always points for contention; however with rule-based procedures, the process is made more transparent and somewhat helps mitigate tensions. We hope the article on this will throw some light on the various issues involved.

This issue of Bulletin has a number of articles that cover fairly broad range in the maritime sector. They cover issues such as means to define maritime jurisdiction, maritime insurance, ports and shipping, the maritime environment in the EEZs, Blue Carbon issues, and a report on a talk on the South China Sea.

This issue of the Bulletin has a number of articles and reports that cover a fairly broad range of the maritime sector. It includes the rticles on Adopting a Guide Framework on Marine Spatial Planning in the Straits of Malacca: A Broad-based Approach, Ocean Thermal Energy - Driven Development in Malaysia: A Proposed Legal Framework and Reports on Capacity Building for Energy Efficient Operations of Ships, The 2017 Taiwan South China Sea Conference, and MIMA as a Centre of Excellence (COE).

In an increasingly complex and interlinked world, Malaysia’s dependence on the seas will continue to be shaped by a multitude of new, constantly evolving and multifaceted issues and challenges. Claims and counterclaims of maritime features and territories, the jostling for influence and space among naval powers, depletion of marine resources, pollution of the oceans and marine environment, climate change, sea level rise, impact of global economic vagaries on the maritime industry will continue to dominate Malaysia’s maritime agenda. These issues demand nuanced responses to ensure our manifold maritime interests are not compromised and the regional seas remain open for our use and for the benefit of the international community. Confronting and addressing them require proactive, creative and well thought-out policies and positions to safeguard national economic, sovereign and strategic interests, and to ensure our seas remain clean, safe, secure and bountiful for current and future use.

In this issue of MIMA Bulletin, mangrove management and conservation efforts are detailed in a special feature of the Kilim Karts Geoforest Park. In addition, Norsyihan Jamal makes a case for technology in the fisheries industry, highlighting the many ways it has moved into the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and how itcan be further improved. Cheryl Rita Kaur in collaboration with Dr Vu Hai Dang, on the other hand, compared the ocean policy development process between Viet Nam and Malaysia. Last and certainly not least, Captain Sukjoon Yoon of the Republic of Korea Navy(Ret.) discusses the issues and ressolution for maritime disputes in Northeast Asia.The range of topics included in this issue is wide and varied. MIMA hopes that this edition of the Bulletin continues to be informative and useful to our readers.

Special focus: ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING LAW AS AN ADDED MEASURE TO COMBAT ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED FISHING IN MALAYSIA Description: Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a huge challenge since fish is traded with high financial returns which attracts irresponsible individuals, criminals and large consortiums to invest considerable amount of money with minimum risk of being indicted for fisheries crimes. Content: - Editorial - From the Bridge - Special Focus: Anti-Money Laundering Law as an Added Measure to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Malaysia (Ganesan Vethiah & Mohd Yazid Zul Kepli) - Bay of Bengal to Taiwan Strait: Maritime “Global Hotspot” (Vivian Louis Forbes) - The Impact of Alternate Sea Lanes on The Strait of Malacca (Alif Hidayat) - Malaysia Halal Port’s: Opportunities and Challenges (Mazlinawati Abdul Majid) - Datuk Dr. Sabirin Ja’afar: After a Year as Director- General (Huda Mahmoud) - Calendar of Events - MIMA Events

Improving the Maritime Cybersecurity in Malaysia With the advancement of technology, the maritime industry has become increasingly digitalised and relies on an Internet connection for information technology (IT) and operational techno-logy (OT) systems. The IT and OT systems are also converging due to the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). As a result, cybersecurity threats within the maritime sector have been on the rise.