As a maritime nation, it is important for these countries to focus on care and research of marine resources are an invaluable treasure.
Why? Imagine a country surrounded by sea is known as a maritime nation has so much valuable property along the coast and sea area.
Accordingly, it is important to make marine science or oceanography as a necessary development in the country.
To this end, Malaysia has a National Oceanography Directorate, or NOD, which is located in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).
However, other support necessary to make the field of oceanography or marine science is growing so people realize how important to appreciate the ocean as a treasure to be explored.
That is why the parties were aware since early morning on the importance of this field is the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
UMT has established the Institute of Oceanography, or INOS is an institute official function in 2001.
INOS research work related to marine and offshore began in 70-s again under the auspices of the UPM (Universiti Pertanian Malaysia at that time), before the UMT established.
UMT was originally a part of UPM before renamed the University College of Science and Technology Malaysia (KUSTEM).
The change of name in line with the upgrading of institutions involved, not only did not affect the existence of INOS until now, but expanded the scope of its investigation to the sea.
INOS Director, Assoc. Dr Lokman Husain said, INOS was among the pioneers in the field of ocean research in this country.
When the pursuit of human development, INOS and other institutes of contemporary works as a catalyst for environmental problems, especially related to marine pollution, which would arise as a result of the development process.
INOS research expertise is supported by scientific equipments and facilities available to make INOS as a reference center for oceanography and marine-related material to other agencies either nationally or internationally.
Research results are mostly translated into data that a reference to the various parties.
At the same time, advisory and consultancy services are provided by INOS to agencies who wish to conduct marine-related projects.
IOS expertise is also used when a scientist from the Institute Professor. Dr. Noor Azhar Mohamed Sazili joined Premier Scientific Expedition Cruises (EPSP '09) in the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea on July 15, 2009 until August 1, 2009.
The expedition made history when 54 scientists from universities and research institutions to navigate the Navy hydrographic vessel was carrying grocery KD
This is the first time, the ocean east of Sabah studied scientifically.
Territory of Malaysia on the high seas is not so wide as adjacent to the area east of the Philippines in Sabah in the Sulu Sea while the south is bordered by Indonesia.
In the Sulu Sea are so many islands and reefs and rocks quite a lot of areas that have not been fully dicartakan by the National Hydrographic Centre.
For the oceanography scientists, the area is important because in the three areas in terms of the Coral Triangle Initiative, a zone rich in coral reefs and other marine biodiversity.
In addition, the Sulu-Sulawesi seas are generally between the waters of Malaysia, which reaches depths of up to 3, 000 meters (m) or more.
Sulawesi in the Celebes Sea area reaching depths of over 6,000 m, while the Philippine Sulu Sea region reaching more than 4.600 m deep.
So far there has been no scientific publications data for the waters east of Sabah Malaysia.
Studies conducted by scientists EPSP'09 expedition includes studies of physical oceanography, chemistry, biology and geology which is funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).
The Group consists of the expedition consisted of scientists from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Unimas), Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia ), Department of Mineral and Geoscience