Welcome Remarks by Mr Loh Ngai Seng, Permanent Secretary, at the Opening Ceremony for the 4th Advanced Maritime Leaders’ Programme (AMLP)

Very glad to be able to address all of you this afternoon. 

Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore,

Colleagues,

1.     Good afternoon and welcome to the Advanced Maritime Leaders’ Programme. This is the pinnacle leadership programme organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, or MPA for short, Academy and is designed for senior maritime leaders who head maritime or port administrations.

2.     For this AMLP, the Academy is very pleased to again partner with Singapore Management University, especially Professor Annie Koh and Dr Flocy, whom you have just heard from. I am confident that you will benefit from their insights and invaluable experiences.

3.     The fourth run of this year’s programme is also our first time holding it virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is timely for us to come together to discuss urgent issues affecting the industry amidst the pandemic.

Disruptions to the maritime industry

4.     2020 and 2021 have brought unprecedented disruption to our businesses and our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our various countries, we worked hard to contain the spread of COVID-19. Governments closed borders, businesses had to stop operations, and life as we knew it stalled.

5.     In the maritime sector, we were not spared. With multiple border restrictions and the need to control the spread of the virus within countries, international shipping had to cope with disruptions to supply chains.

6.     Crew change also came to a standstill. Seafarers could not disembark from their vessels, and new crew could not fly in to replace those who were on the vessels. Hundreds of thousands of seafarers were stranded at sea, months beyond their contracts, away from their families and loved ones.

7.     Yet it was at this time that the importance of the maritime sector became evident. The maritime sector quietly enabled the flow of global supply chains pre-COVID-19. It became clear during the pandemic that without ships, seafarers, and ports, the global supply chain will stop functioning, and countries and their people would not be able to receive supplies.

8.     This was again played out in the Ever Given crisis, which captured the world’s imagination in March 2021. A massive container ship weighing more than 200,000 tonnes and carrying more than 18,000 containers blocked the Suez Canal for nearly six days, before being successfully refloated. While traffic has resumed along the Suez Canal, the repercussions from the blockade will ripple through shipping schedules for many weeks after.

Leadership in Crisis 

9.     As maritime leaders, we know that a crisis is when visionary and effective leadership is most critical. In the maritime sector, our roles are more complex given the interconnected nature of the sector. We know that disruptions and congestion upstream can have serious after-effects on the rest of the system.

10.    Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in Singapore, the Government, maritime leaders, port operators, and maritime workers were clear about one thing – as a global transhipment hub port, we had to keep our port open throughout the pandemic to facilitate global supply chains.

11.    We knew also that seafarers played an integral role, and wanted to do the right thing to alleviate the global crew change crisis. But the Government could not do this alone. The MPA worked with industry, maritime unions and our Ministry of Health to devise rigorous procedures that would allow crew change to be carried out in a safe manner while minimising the transmission to the community. We implemented a “bubble-wrap protocol” from the airport to the seaport and vice versa, and had them stay at floating hotels or dedicated land hotels whilst waiting to board their ships or aeroplanes. We continue to update our procedures in line with the evolving virus situation.

12.    With the strong support from all our partners, we have been able to conduct more than 120,000 crew changes in Singapore. Our procedures have also been published and shared with Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

13.    Now, there have been many other incidents where we had to step up –

a.     We implemented regular COVID-19 testing and enhanced precautionary measures for our frontline maritime workers to better protect them and our community;

b.     We introduced a digital check-in system for us to better track maritime workers who boarded ships for work;

c.     Most recently, we issued a call to action for our frontline maritime workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

14.    We believe these are key steps in keeping our global hub port open, and our community safe.

The Importance of Networks in the Maritime Sector

15.    In all this, a common thread was that the Ministry of Transport and MPA did not accomplish these on our own.

a.     We relied on the support, expertise, and networks of our industry partners, unions, and government agencies to push through some of these initiatives.

b.     We stood together with more than 50 members from the Port Authorities Roundtable, including ports from Oceania, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas, including many of those who have participated in this 4th AMLP, to commit to keep our port open to seaborne trade to support the fight against COVID-19.

16.    The Ever Given incident and COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last incidents or disruptions we face in the maritime sector. There are challenges on the horizon – the increasing digitalisation of the industry, and the push for decarbonisation in international shipping to meet IMO’s 2050 goals, and Singapore is committed to continue contributing to leadership training for IMO member states. 

17.    There is an African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is very true of the maritime sector – we are interconnected, between ports of different countries, vessels that ply waterways and trade routes, and seafarers who serve on these vessels.

18.    Programmes such as this 4th AMLP bring together maritime leaders from all around the world – apart from the courses which we hope will be enriching, the most valuable takeaways will be the networks you establish at this platform. Upon completion of this course, you will be part of an alumni community of over 360 maritime leaders across more than 100 countries. I hope the conversations will enable the group to think about the post-COVID-19 recovery and how the maritime sector can emerge stronger together, after this crisis.

19.    On that note, I wish you an engaging week ahead, and look forward to welcoming you to Singapore in person in the near future. Thank you.