Speech by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, at the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) Lunar New Year Luncheon & Hong Bao Presentation

Brother Ng Chee Meng, Secretary General, NTUC, 

Sister K Thanaletchimi, President, NTUC, 

Sister Mary Liew, General Secretary, SMOU, 

Brother Thomas Tay, Emeritus General Secretary, SMOU, 

Brother Rahim Jaffar, President, SMOU, 

Brother Kam Soon Huat, President, SOS,   

Sister Caroline Yang, President, SSA, 

Brother Robert Yap, President, SNEF, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Brothers and Sisters, 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

1.     Good afternoon, and a very happy Lunar New Year to everyone. 

2.     I am delighted to join all of you to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with our sisters and brothers here as well as our tripartite partners. It is a special occasion as we come together with our tripartite partners to wish one another all the best for the year ahead. For those in business, we wish you prosperity and success, and as Sister Mary said, if your business do well, please do not forget your workers and share some of the prosperity with them.  

3.     Let me begin by thanking SMOU for your important contributions in advocating for our seafarers, and in maintaining excellent relations with both employers and the government.  

4.     Our strong tripartite partnership is a source of pride for Singapore and Singaporeans, and also one of our key competitive advantages. 

5.     The maritime industry is a critical pillar of Singapore’s prosperity and resilience, and our seafarers are the lifeblood of the maritime industry. I want to join Sister Mary in extending my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the seafarers from the past present and future. Thank you very much to our seafarers!

6.     We know seafarers spend long stretches away from home and their loved ones.   

7.     At the same time, as Sister Mary said earlier, seafaring is an important and meaningful profession that contributes to the flow of essential goods around the world. If anybody needs a reminder, COVID-19 was a good reminder. If supply chains are affected, everyone is affected. 

8.     It also opens up good career opportunities, both at sea and on shore. 

9.     Our aim, as tripartite partners in the maritime industry, is to encourage more Singaporeans to take up seafaring as a career. Not necessarily for their entire career, but as a key part of their career - and after that, you can have a choice of continuing to be out at sea or transit onshore. While both options are available and are good jobs, seafaring is an important part of the career development and the seafaring experience is also essential for shore-based job. 

10.    SMOU has worked tirelessly with the government and industry to develop a pipeline of local seafaring talent. 

Tripartite Maritime Training Awards (TMTA) 

11.    In 2009, SMOU established the Tripartite Maritime Training Awards (TMTA) in collaboration with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), with support from the industry, including the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA). 

a.     The TMTA supports graduating students and mid-career workers in taking their first step towards a career in seafaring. 

b.     The programme provides course fee subsidies and training allowances as cadets work towards their Certificates of Competency (COC) to qualify as deck officers or marine engineers. 

c.     In the 15 years since its inception, the TMTA programme has trained over 400 cadets. 

d.     These cadets were supported by over $10 million contributed by SMOU and our tripartite partners.  

12.    One beneficiary of the TMTA is Mohd Farhan Bin Mohd Fadillah, who works for Bourbon Offshore as a 2^nd Officer. 

a.     Farhan previously worked as an accounts executive, but was attracted by the prospect of becoming an officer aboard a ship. 

b.      As a recipient of the Tripartite Nautical Training Award under the TMTA programme, Farhan successfully made the switch and qualified as a deck officer. 

c.     He has sailed the seas over the last decade, sometimes for as long as 11 months at a time, but that hasn’t stopped him from setting up a home and starting a family. 

d.     I am pleased to hear that he is happily married and has a young daughter who will be turning 2 this year. 

e.     Congratulations Farhan, and well done!   

f.     I hope Brother Farhan’s story will inspire and encourage more Singaporeans to take up seafaring careers. 

13.    Seafarers like Farhan are a good example of how the TMTA programme provides good opportunities for people looking to make a career switch to the maritime industry. 

14.    I am glad to learn from Sister Mary that SMOU is working closely with MPA, e2i, and SSA, to relaunch the TMTA programme after a three-year break, with a target to train 120 cadets over the next 5 years.   

15.    The next cohort of cadets will start their training from September 2024. 

16.    SMOU and its training arm, Wavelink Maritime Institute, have taken in feedback from past cohorts of cadets to improve the TMTA programme. 

a.     For example, cadets can now commence training without having to wait for a minimum class size. 

b.     This ensures minimal downtime between a cadet’s application to the programme and the start of their training. 

c.     Cadets will also benefit from individualised coaching by industry professionals, who will guide and support them throughout their training process. 

17.    The relaunch of the TMTA programme demonstrates the strong commitment from tripartite partners to support the attraction and development of local seafaring talent, or what Sister Mary referred to as the Singapore core. Complementing this with our international talent, will make it a vibrant workforce. 

18.    It complements our earlier initiative, the Sail Milestone Achievement Programme (SailMAP), to retain local seafarers and support them to gain industry experience and eventually attain COC1 qualifications. 

Conclusion 

19.    Let me conclude by thanking SMOU for your steadfast commitment to giving back to the community. 

20.    This spirit is exemplified by SMOU’s tradition of distributing red packets, festive gifts, and goodie bags at this annual event for more than 30 years. 

21.    I wish everyone a happy and prosperous Year of the Dragon: 恭祝大家龙年大吉，龙马精神，龙腾虎跃，龙众 Ho Say！ 

22.    谢谢大家. Thank you.