The seeds that would later bloom into the Thai Shipowners’ Association were planted at a 1973 meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At this point ASEAN has only five members – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – all of them fledgling economies in the early 1970s. In order to improve their status and become major players on the world stage, they agreed that they needed to not only standardize their key industries but also enhance cooperation between their private sectors. Among the many collaborative efforts spawned that year, was the birth of the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners Association, which was charged with standardizing and strengthening the member nations’ shipping and marine transportation industries.