Ocean explorer drops anchor in Hong Kong (hktdc.com)


	Asiatic Marine founder Charles Frew says Hong Kong has everything he needs to serve a global clientele

British marine scientist Charles Frew arrived in Hong Kong on a tourist visa in April 1997, and was amazed by what he found.

"I went to the countryside and was blown away by the country parks and coastline of this amazing place. I fell in love with Hong Kong," he said.

The visit was intended to be a stop-over on his way to trek mountains in Laos but Mr Frew, with a masters degree in marine resource development and protection, was offered some survey work. Fulfilling a long-held wish to break out on his own and focus on marine issues, he founded the consultancy Asiatic Marine Limited.

Underwater videography was the next phase of his business, and 15 years later, Asiatic Marine has grown into a multi-disciplinary company providing a wide range of marine services to international clients within marine environmental, conservation and documentary production industries.

Perfect balance

Having a Hong Kong base has worked in his favour as it provides the ideal balance between global client communication and access to China, Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific, Mr Frew says.

"Hong Kong is centralised, convenient, and things happen here," he said. "When you want to set up meetings, you know it can be today. The people are flexible, fast and efficient, and they have time for you. Back in London it would be much harder to get around."

Underwater videography proved to be an untapped market, and Mr Frew found a niche as a documentary filmmaker. He knew he'd hit the jackpot when, on one of his "ocean roaming" exploratory trips, Mr Frew found a place in a remote part of the Philippines where pelagic thresher (sharks) leap out of the water. "It was a goldmine," he said. "We'd known that these sharks existed, but they'd never been filmed."

The Asiatic Marine team and two tons of equipment were quickly dispatched from Hong Kong, and the resultant footage was aired on documentary channels worldwide including Animal Planet and BBC Natural History.

Pool of talent

While working in Hong Kong Mr Frew uses a pool of freelance specialists on a project basis. "There is some rich talent here, including university post graduates who are highly efficient at what they do," he said. "They are willing to work and are very productive."

In his business time is critical. "Hong Kong is super-efficient – it's so well connected that when something comes up in, say, the Philippines or Singapore, I know I can be on the next plane out of here," Mr Frew said. "If I were based in Shanghai or Beijing, I'd be struggling to do this because of the distance involved."

A committed conservationist, Mr Frew applauds the Hong Kong Government's environmental initiatives and says its decision to sustain 40 per cent of the territory's land mass as country parks cannot be rivaled anywhere.

Mr Frew is currently working with the Shangri-La group advising on marine environmental issues for its planned new resorts around the world. He also wants to start making his own films in high definition format.

"Conservation is about sustainability, and I believe that business and conservation can work hand in hand," Mr Frew said. "At the end of the day, we can all make a difference and the Shangri-La's willingness to seek advice on marine conservation issues is a model of corporate environmental responsibility."