Speech by Minister for Transport and Minister-In-Charge of Trade Relations, Mr S Iswaran at the Singapore Shipping Assocation 37th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Your Excellencies, High Commissioners and Ambassadors to Singapore,

Ms Caroline Yang, President of the Singapore Shipping Association, Members of the association

Industry Partners, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.     Good evening. I am absolutely delighted to be here with all of you, and even more so because we are all able to gather in-person without mask and able to actually interact once again. It is quite apt that we are gathering like this to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the Singapore Shipping Association. I want to begin by congratulating the association and all its members on this milestone.

Strong public-private partnership during the pandemic

2.     It is said that the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fires. And that is how it has been for us with our fight against COVID in the last 2 years. The pandemic has been a severe test of the mettle of our society, of our economy, and of our nation. But we have emerged stronger and that is because of the deep trust and close cooperation among our people, industry, and the Government.

3.     Our maritime industry epitomises this partnership. SSA and key stakeholders have played a critical role in keeping our maritime hub open 24/7, and protecting seafarers from around the world. MPA, SSA, the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and Singapore Organisation of Seamen formed a Singapore Crew Change Working Group to develop safe crew change procedures, which were also shared with the global maritime community.

4.     These partners also set up the Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience Fund and Taskforce, which developed the CrewSafe audit programme to enable safe crew changes across countries. SSA worked with the Fullerton Health Group and MPA to help seafarers get vaccinated under the SEAVAX programme.

5.     I recall vividly my conversation, with Caroline, Mary, and the union and industry leaders, as we sought to see how we could enable vaccination of the seafarers. We prevailed and we were able to implement the programme. And through these efforts, Maritime Singapore conducted over 356,000 crew changes, and vaccinated more than 1,300 seafarers.

6.     I would also like to, on behalf of the government and all seafarers, thank SSA and all of you in the industry for your close cooperation and partnership. Well done everyone!

The way ahead

7.     Looking ahead, we must prepare ourselves to compete and grow in a rapidly transforming global maritime industry. In particular, it is essential that we focus on sustainability and talent. I want to talk briefly about both.

Sustainability

8.     Climate change is the defining challenge of our times, and it calls for urgent action. And that is why earlier this year, I launched the Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint: Working Towards 2050. It states our commitment to: reduce emissions from our port terminals and harbour craft; support global efforts to decarbonise the maritime industry; and secure Singapore’s position as a green maritime hub.

9.     This is a blueprint, but for it to be realised in practice, it needs whole of industry effort. We need the cooperation of our union partners, industry partners, and international organisations around the world in order to make this blueprint a reality. I invite all of you to engage in this plan.

Talent

10.    In a similar way, we need a similar collective effort for talent. Singapore’s success as a maritime hub rests on our ability to attract and retain talent across the industry value chain.

11.    It has been a key thrust of MPA’s engagement with industry partners. Today, I am pleased to announce that MPA and the Singapore Maritime Foundation will be partnering Pacific Carriers Limited, Pacific International Lines and the American Bureau of Shipping to jointly establish the Alliance for Future Maritime Talent (AFMT).

12.    The AFMT will equip our maritime workforce with skills for the future, such as in green financing and maritime cybersecurity; develop the curricula and support job redesign; and facilitate sea-to-shore transition for seafarers.

13.    A new Tripartite Advisory Panel will also be formed to support AFMT by identifying future maritime skills and competencies in consultation with industry leaders.  The Panel will be co-chaired by Mr Hor Weng Yew, Chief Executive of Pacific Carriers Limited and Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation; and Mr Nick Potter, General Manager, Shipping and Maritime, Pacific and the Middle East, Shell.

14.    These talent initiatives are critical because they will ensure a pipeline of talent with the requisite skills, and that in turn will be the foundation that will strengthen the competitiveness of our maritime ecosystem.

Conclusion

15.    In conclusion, I would like to thank the SSA, our maritime unions and industry partners, for your unwavering support and close cooperation through the years, especially so in the last two to three years. This has been the decisive factor in our fight against COVID, and in the success of Maritime Singapore.

16.    Let us build on that steadfast partnership as we take on new challenges and look to the future with optimism and confidence as One Maritime Singapore community.

17.    I wish all of you a very pleasant evening ahead. Thank you.