Admiral Thomas H Collins, Commandant, US Coast Guard (USCG) is in Singapore for a 2-day visit under the Distinguished Visitors Program of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Over the two days, ADM Collins will be calling on Yeo Cheow Tong, Minister for Transport. He will also be meeting Peter Ho, Chairman, MPA; Chen Tze Penn, Director-General, MPA; and other MPA senior officials. His itinerary will include meetings with key personnel from other Singapore maritime agencies.
A highlight of ADM Collins’ visit will be the keynote address which he will be delivering at the opening of the International Maritime and Port Security Conference (IMPSC) on January 21. ADM Collins will be speaking on the “New Challenges to Maritime and Port Security”. The topic of ADM Collins’ keynote address is timely, given the adoption by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in December 2002 of new measures to enhance security in the maritime transport sector following the tragic events of 11 Sep 01. The Conference would be held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.
ADM Collins is the second Commandant of the USCG to visit Singapore under the MPA’s DVP. His immediate predecessor as Coast Guard Commandant, ADM James Loy, visited Singapore in May 2001. The visit by ADM Collins underscores the close bilateral relations between the MPA and the US Coast Guard. The MPA hopes to further strengthen bilateral co-operation between the two maritime organisations through this visit.
ADM Collins was appointed the 22nd Commandant of the USCG in May 2002. Prior to this appointment, he served as the USCG’s Vice Commandant between 2000 and 2002. From 1998 to 2000, he was the Commander, Pacific Area and Eleventh Coast Guard District.