US and China’s underwater rivalry fuels calls for submarine code of conduct to cut risk of accidents
- Risk of accidents is increasing as navies step up their presence in strategically sensitive areas such as the South China Sea
The increasing number of submarines various countries are deploying to the Indo-Pacific region has fuelled calls for an underwater code of conduct to reduce the risk of accidents in the busiest waterways.
The warning comes as Asian Pacific countries are engaged in a submarine arms race, with an estimated 228 full-sized submarines operating in the East and South China Seas – a number that is expected to rise to 300 within a decade.
Unlike other warships, submarines are by definition difficult to detect – increasing the chance of accidental collisions and mishaps.
In addition, there are no regionally accepted rules governing submarine operation.
Speaking at an Asia Society forum in Hong Kong last Friday, David Shear, the former US assistant defence secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, warned that the risk of underwater accidents was rising as regional heavyweights and smaller countries – many of which have competing claims to the South China Sea – are expanding their submarine fleets.
“The region – particularly the western Pacific, and particularly within the first island chain on the American front perimeter – is filling up with submarines,” Shear said.