Opening Address by Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Mr Chee Hong Tat at Singapore-Norway Maritime Business Forum on 15 April 2024

Mr Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization,   

Mr Even Tronstad Sagebakken, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Trade Industry and Fisheries, Norway,

H.E. Mr Eivind Homme, Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy,

Mr Tan Wah Yeow, Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Norway,

Distinguished friends of the maritime community,  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.     Thank you for inviting me to the Singapore-Norway Maritime Business Forum. I am glad to see many familiar faces in the audience, and to meet everyone again since our last event which was the Singapore-Norway Maritime Digital and Cyber Forum held earlier this year.

2.     Singapore and Norway share a strong and close partnership as maritime nations and our frequent meetings are a testament to that. At Nor-Shipping in Oslo in June 2023, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation, reaffirming our shared vision for the maritime industry. We are continuing this partnership with the renewal of our MOU between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Norwegian Research Council for research development, education and training.

3.     The theme of today’s forum is “Business Opportunities and Development of Manpower in the follow-up of the bilateral Maritime MOU”. It encourages all of us to ask, “what’s next?” and it also calls on us to turn our shared vision into action plans and outcomes.

4.     The maritime industry is rapidly transforming amidst challenges in our environment, including disruptions in global trade and supply chains, and climate change. This transformation has opened up new opportunities for collaboration, including in emerging areas such as decarbonisation and digitalisation, and the associated manpower development and skills upgrading initiatives to prepare our workers for a more digital and sustainable future.

5.     This morning we heard from several speakers, including Ministers and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez, touching on the importance of collaboration. So indeed international partnerships are a catalytic and synergistic force. They enable us to better seize these opportunities by tapping on each country’s strengths, networks and expertise. When we all bring something to the table, the end product is more than the sum of the individual product.                                 

6.     We have made good progress since the inception of our bilateral maritime MOU, and I look forward to more future collaboration between our two countries and our companies. Allow me to elaborate on three areas in which our partnership catalyses change and brings about benefits – for the workforce, for businesses, and for the international community.

Equipping the Future Workforce

7.     First, our partnership enables Singapore and Norway to better equip a future-ready, globally-oriented maritime workforce. A collaborative approach to manpower development is needed to attract new talent, and equip our workers with new skills to prepare them for the industry’s transformation.    

8.     MPA’s Global Internship Awards (GIA) programme aims to do so with the active participation and support of Norwegian companies, including G2 Ocean Singapore and OSM Thome. The programme provides students with opportunities for experiential learning with international maritime companies in Singapore and abroad, mentorship and training opportunities alongside industry practitioners, and exposes our students to a diverse range of careers in maritime companies. This is important as sometimes students may not be exposed to these opportunities in school.

9.     I am heartened to know that since the inception of the GIA in 2013, Norwegian companies based in Singapore have sent 22 students to their offices in Norway. I have met some of the interns during my previous visits to Oslo.

10.    The Maritime Trainee Programme, managed by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, consists of an 18-month academic program and job attachments at partner companies in Norway, Singapore, and London. It has seen more than 200 participating trainees since its launch in 2005 and focuses on areas such as green shipping and future fuels, digital competence, and international maritime law.

11.    Through these opportunities, we are able to acquaint students and trainees with the trends and emerging developments in the global maritime industry. What I hope to see is for more companies to join us in building a strong pipeline of diverse talent with future-ready skills.

 Introducing Opportunities for Businesses

 12.    Second, our partnership is a gateway for business opportunities. Our business communities have come together to exchange ideas and innovate, including working on solutions to tackle the decarbonisation challenge.

13.    At last year’s Singapore Maritime Week, over 50 Singaporean and Norwegian organisations attended the Singapore-Norway Maritime Decarbonisation Workshop organised by the Royal Norwegian Embassy Singapore, Innovation Norway and Norwegian Business Association Singapore, and supported by Enterprise Singapore and MPA. The participants shared insights and had fruitful discussions on business partnerships and co-innovation opportunities on future fuels and zero-emission technologies such as ammonia bunkering and power generation, fuel cell and autonomous vessel technology, and maritime batteries and charging technology.

14.    These collaborations have borne fruit, in the form of new ventures. In September 2023, thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsen Ships Services formed Pelagus 3D, a Joint Venture headquartered in Singapore, that offers on-demand manufacturing of maritime and offshore components. Through additive manufacturing and digital inventory management, Pelagus 3D enables faster access to critical marine parts and solutions, saving cost and time for vessels, and facilitating efficient global sea trade.

15.    By bringing our business communities together, we spark opportunities for innovation, unlock new markets, and enable companies to expand their horizons.

Accelerating the Green Transition for the Wider International Community

16.    Finally, by working together, we facilitate the green transition not just for our countries, but for the wider international community. The International Maritime Organization adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships last July, with enhanced targets to reach net zero emissions by or around 2050. All countries need to work together to share ideas, bring onboard as many partners as possible, and take collective action to attain this global target.

17.    The IMO, Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway and MPA have been working together to support maritime decarbonisation activities under the GreenVoyage 2050 Project and NextGEN Connect Initiative.

18.    The aim of these initiatives is to undertake technical cooperation activities to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships and in ports. These initiatives identified a key role for regional hubs such as Singapore to help connect large demand clusters and remote locations, with regional fuel supply sources, in order to enable a more inclusive and effective transition to a low-carbon maritime future.

19.    In October last year, the partners, supported by the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, held a workshop in Singapore that simulated a routes-based action plan methodology to address the limitations in its application in the wider Asian context. The relevant takeaways were then submitted to the 16^th Intersessional Working Group on GHG Emissions Reduction from Ships in March this year.

20.    In the next phase of the project, we will identify candidate ports in Asia Pacific for the development of an inclusive route-based action plan, with a focus on unlocking alternative fuel supply and export opportunities for developing countries.

Conclusion

21.    Ladies and gentlemen, Singapore and Norway have enjoyed a close partnership and strong track record of collaboration on various challenging maritime issues.

22.    I am confident that our maritime business communities gathered here today will have a fruitful forum, leading to tangible collaborations that will further accelerate the global maritime industry’s transformation, bolstered by a strong talent development pipeline.

23.    Thank you.