Singapore News

Singapore welcomes Hong Kong pledge on handling of dispute. Singapore's defence minister on Monday said the nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated, but that he welcomed Hong Kong's pledge for the dispute to be handled in line with its laws. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped to Singapore from Taiwan after military exercises on the island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province, sparking tension between Singapore and China. Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan. The vehicles were Singapore property, said Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, answering questions in parliament.

The fifth run of the MPA Academy Port Management Programme (PMP), aimed at port masters, harbour masters and middle managers from maritime and port authorities, kicked off today with a record 20 maritime officials from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Oceania. Developed and organised by MPA Academy, the five-day programme will be delivered by practitioners from the industry as well as senior officers from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Some of the key subjects that will be covered during the programme include safety, port planning and security.

Singapore continues to attract a diverse range of maritime businesses and is now home to over 130 international shipping groups and more than 5,000 maritime establishments. The maritime cluster employs more than 170,000 people and contributes some seven per cent to Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product. Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “2016 was an eventful year for the shipping industry with further changes in the mega-alliances, new mergers and acquisitions, continued excess capacity and depressed rates amidst slower global growth. Despite these challenges, Maritime Singapore sustained its position. 2017 will be another pivotal year. Annual vessel arrival tonnage increased by 6.3 per cent n 2016 compared to 2015, reaching 2.66 billion gross tonnes (GT).

The Port of Singapore sustained its performance in 2016, amidst weaker-than-expected global economic conditions and significant structural changes in the maritime industry. Annual vessel arrival tonnage increased by 6.3 per cent in 2016 compared to 2015, reaching 2.66 billion gross tonnes (GT). Container ships, bulk carriers and tankers were the top contributors, each accounting for around 30 per cent of total vessel arrival tonnage. Singapore remained the world’s top bunkering port in 2016.

Asian luxury cruise line Dream Cruises said it will homeport its inaugural vessel, Genting Dream, year-round in Singapore from December 3, 2017. Christened in November 2017, Genting Dream currently sails from Hong Kong or Guangzhou. With the move, the 151,300-metric-ton cruise ship will tap new markets, calling at more than 10 ports in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Significant growth in the Asian cruise industry over the recent years has presented new opportunities for the region, and Dream Cruises said it aims to be a pacesetter in Singapore.

Hong Kong is to release armoured vehicles belonging to Singapore impounded in the Chinese-ruled city on their way home from military exercises in Taiwan, Singapore said on Tuesday. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November. Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan. Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said Hong Kong authorities would release the Singapore Armed Forces' troop carriers and other equipment to the Singapore government but the ministry did not give details. Hong Kong's commissioner of Customs and Excise, Roy Tang, said in a statement the vehicles were seized because of "a suspected breach of the Hong Kong law".

The market for LNG in Singapore is projected to grow at a CAGR 10.39% during 2016-2025, due to the push from Singapore government towards adoption of cleaner energy sources, capacity addition of natural gas / LNG based power plants and emergence of Singapore as a regional trading hub for LNG in Asia-Pacific. "Growing demand from power generation sector, favorable LNG prices and government initiatives to setup Singapore as LNG hub is expected to drive Singapore LNG market," says the report by TechSci Research. Pavilion Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pavilion Gas Pte Ltd.

Amid structural and cyclical changes brought about by over-capacity, mega-alliances, increasing digitisation, as well as economic and geopolitical uncertainties, Singapore remains a premier global hub port and leading international maritime centre that held steady growth in 2016. In the face of headwinds, Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2017 – organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) – will rally the global maritime industry for a week of discussions and networking to address critical issues impacting the regional and international maritime scene today.

Ocean transportation firm, “K” Line Pte Ltd, and Patrick Phoon, Deputy Managing Director of Evergreen Shipping Agency, received the International Maritime Centre (Corporate) Award and the International Maritime Centre (Individual) Award respectively. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has honoured ten industry partners who have made outstanding contributions to Singapore's development as a premier global hub port and a leading international maritime centre at the Singapore International Maritime Awards (IMA) 2017.

Singapore has once again emerged in top place in a ranking Menon’s Leading Maritime Capitals of the World Report (Menon Report) for 2017. The study, by Norwegian consultancy firm Menon Economics, looked at 24 objective indicators and garnered survey responses from more than 250 industry experts across all continents. Singapore was also ranked first in the report's 2015 and 2012 surveys. Singapore was ranked number one in the following three categories: Shipping, Ports and Logistics, and Attractiveness and Competitiveness.

ABS has been awarded the Offshore & Marine Engineering Award by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). This award recognizes organizations that have made significant contributions toward the development of Singapore’s offshore and marine engineering sector. “ABS is honored to receive this award recognizing our leading role in Singapore’s marine and offshore industries,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. The MPA award recognizes ABS for its breakthrough work in the areas of innovation…

The first Singapore Technical Reference (TR) 56 for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Bunkering was launched by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SPRING Singapore and the Standards Development Organisation @ Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SDO@SCIC). This standard has been developed to provide a safe, efficient, sustainable and transparent technical framework for conducting LNG bunkering operations in Singapore, thereby offering greater assurance to local and international LNG bunker buyers and suppliers.

ClassNK hosted an anniversary party on July to commemorate 50 years of its Singapore Office, established in 1967 to broaden the classification society’s service network in Southeast Asia. Held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the evening commenced with an opening address by Chairman and President of ClassNK, Koichi Fujiwara. Among guests in attendance, the Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, His Excellency Kenji Shinoda gave an honorary address followed by a congratulatory address by Assistant Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Tan Beng Tee.

To promote LNG bunkering in Asia, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Ports and Harbours Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) will helm a working group to conduct a feasibility study on LNG bunkering for car carriers plying between Japan and Singapore. This working group will include Japan’s big three shippers – Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). The study…

The divers have recovered two bodies out of the five missing crew of JBB DE RONG 19, following the collision between Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA and Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 that occurred in Singapore territorial waters at about 12.40am (Singapore time) on 13 September 2017. At the point of collision this morning, 12 crew members were onboard JBB DE RONG 19. Seven were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, out of whom five have since been discharged. Search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the three remaining crew members are ongoing.

The International Maritime Centre (IMC) 2030 Advisory Committee, established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in August 2016, has submitted the IMC 2030 Strategic Review report to the Singapore Government. The Committee’s vision is for Maritime Singapore to be the Global Maritime Hub for Connectivity, Innovation and Talent. The Committee, chaired by Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, comprises 21 other global business leaders and experts from diverse sectors such as maritime, finance, commodities trading, logistics, finance and technology.

Aegean Bunkering Pte Ltd will halt physical supply operations in Singapore by January, the company said, becoming the fourth such firm to exit the world’s largest marine refuelling hub after it adopted tougher bunkering procedures this year. Since adopting mass flow meters (MFM) to streamline operations on marine refuelling, or bunkering, barges at the start of 2017, suppliers in Singapore have seen margins squeezed and competition surge in the battle for market share. “2017 has seen heightened commercial pressures in Singapore, and as a result, management has determined that Aegean’s resources can be more profitably deployed elsewhere,” its president, Jonathan Mcilroy, said in a statement on Tuesday.

More than 4,600 ships flying the Singapore flag will benefit from service enhancements to be introduced from November 2017 by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Singapore-incorporated maritime companies will also receive assistance in the form of training on sustainability reporting. These initiatives were announced by Chief Executive of MPA, Mr Andrew Tan, at the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) Forum. Themed "Innovation in Challenging Times", this year's SRS…

The Ocean Alliance has launched its new Day Two Product with an estimated 3.6 million TEU carrying capacity provided by approximately 340 containerships deployed on 41 services. The new offering will commence in April 2018. Alliance partners CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL will offer 20 Transpacific services, six Asia-Europe services, four Asia-Mediterranean services, four Transatlantic services, five Asia-Middle East services and two Asia-Red Sea services. “Ocean Alliance…

Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health, launched the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM) at the annual Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Cocktail Reception. Developed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in partnership with the industry, unions and other government agencies, the Sea Transport ITM builds on MPA’s strategic long term plans to develop Singapore’s next-generation port and strengthen our international maritime centre (IMC).

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has established the International Maritime Center 2030 (IMC 2030) Advisory Committee to chart the future directions of Singapore’s IMC. Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, has been appointed as the Chairman of this committee. As part of its work, the committee would review Singapore’s IMC development strategy and identify new growth areas to enhance Singapore’s long-term competitiveness and value proposition as an IMC. Globally, Singapore is known as one of the world’s busiest ports and a top bunkering port.

DNV GL’s Group President & CEO Remi Eriksen participated in the first meeting of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) advisory committee for further developing Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC) towards 2030. The committee is chaired by Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, and comprises of 22 global business leaders and experts. As part of its work, the committee will review Singapore’s IMC development strategy and identify new growth areas to enhance Singapore’s long-term competitiveness and value proposition as an IMC.

Women leaders from all over the world will gather in Singapore to attend the forthcoming WISTA Singapore Asia Conference taking place on May 10, 2018. The theme of the conference is “#UnlockingAsia – Opportunities and Threats” and topics such as “Ports & Terminals”, “Cyber Security” and “One Belt One Road Initiative” will be explored by experts in these areas in various panel discussions. Hosted by WISTA Singapore, a National Chapter of WISTA International and the first to be founded in Asia in 1998…