26 April 2017

 

 

“K” Line and Industry Veteran Patrick Phoon Win Top Honours at

Singapore International Maritime Awards 2017

New Skills Framework Launched for Maritime Sector to Raise Awareness of Opportunities in Sector

 

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) today 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.

 

2        Held in conjunction with the 12^th Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), the event was graced by Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport, who also launched a new manpower initiative for the maritime industry.

 

3        Mr Niam Chiang Meng, MPA’s Chairman, noted that despite the highly cyclical nature and many challenges faced by the shipping business, the maritime sector has been resilient. He said, “A number of nominated candidates have been in Singapore for many years. Some have significantly grown their fleet of Singapore-registered vessels. Others have expanded their corporate functions and business activities. In addition, the industry has invested considerably in maritime manpower development and in technology to enhance their business capabilities.”

 

“K” Line Pte Ltd and Industry Veteran Patrick Phoon received top honours

 

4        With over 100 nominations, the panel of judges faced a daunting task to determine the winners, all of whom have made significant contributions to add vibrancy and depth to the Maritime Singapore eco-system. The recipients range from shipowners to maritime service providers and classification societies, underscoring the vibrant maritime enterprise ecosystem Singapore has. Amongst these, 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.

 

5        Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd (“K” Line) started out as a representative office in 1973. Since then, “K” Line’s business activities have grown to include ship operations, ship management and ship agency. In 2001, “K” Line established “K” Line Pte Ltd to undertake shipping operations in Singapore.  Today, “K” Line Pte Ltd’s shipping operations span container transportation, bulk-carrier, car-carrier and tanker operations. As the Group’s Liner Trade Management Office and Panamax Fleet Allocation Centre, “K” Line Pte Ltd’s corporate functions have also grown extensively over the years. Apart from placing various business functions here, “K” Line Pte Ltd has demonstrated commitment to develop Singapore’s local manpower. “K” Line Pte Ltd’s manpower development investments span across sponsoring MaritimeONE scholarships as well as enabling its promising local staff for attachments at its overseas offices.

 

6        International Maritime Centre (Individual) Award winner, Mr Patrick Phoon, is an industry veteran with more than 40 years of shipping experience. Throughout his career, he has provided leadership in the areas of maritime insurance, finance and manpower development. Mr Phoon has played a pivotal role in the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and is the Association’s longest serving Council member, having served on the Council for 24 years, with the last four years as its President. Under his leadership, SSA identified the insurance and finance sectors as being key to Singapore’s development as a leading IMC. Mr Phoon was instrumental in the establishment of the Singapore War Risk Mutual (SWRM) which helps safeguard shipowners and Singapore’s strategic maritime interests. The SWRM was launched in February 2015 and has placed Singapore on the global map, joining the few jurisdictions with their own war risk pools.

 

Manpower initiatives to promote maritime careers

 

7        At the evening event, Mrs Teo announced the launch of the Skills Framework for Sea Transport. In support of the Jobs and Skills  pillar under the Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for Sea Transport, the new initiative aims to guide maritime organisations and educational institutions in developing relevant training programmes, in order to build the competencies of maritime professionals. This Skills Framework for Sea Transport is collaboration between MPA, SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore and industry stakeholders.  

 

8        “As the maritime industry transforms, jobs will become more knowledge-intensive. We will need a workforce that is comfortable with automation and digitalisation.  To succeed, the industry also needs our people to have a global-orientation,” said Mrs Teo. The Skills Framework launched provides a good overview of the career development pathways and skills required for 48 different jobs in the Sea Transport sector. In addition, to help more Singaporeans gain overseas exposure, MPA enhanced its Overseas Attachment scheme to support longer overseas training stints. Undergraduates can also get internship placements with international maritime companies through the MPA Global Internship Award.

 

9        In addition to the ten IMA industry award winners, 52 maritime enterprises also received certificates for their contributions to the growth of Maritime Singapore.

 

 

 Annex A – IMA 2017 winners list

Annex B – Skills Framework for the Sea Transport sector

 

<End of release>

Makoto Hashizume, Director, President and CEO of “K” Line Pte Ltd receiving the International Maritime Centre (Corporate) Award on behalf of “K” Line Pte Ltd, from Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport

Mr Patrick Phoon, Deputy Managing Director, Evergreen Shipping Agency (Singapore) Pte Ltd receiving the International Maritime Centre (Individual) Award from Mrs Josephine Teo

Mrs Josephine Teo (centre); MPA Chairman Mr Niam Chiang Meng (fifth from right) and Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) (sixth from left) with Singapore International Maritime Awards 2017 winners

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Annex A

Singapore Maritime Week

Singapore International Maritime Awards 2017

Winners’ List

 

Category	Winner
International Maritime Centre (IMC) Award   Awarded to the individual or company that has contributed significantly towards the development of Singapore as an International Maritime Centre.	Corporate “K” Line Pte Ltd   Individual Mr Patrick Phoon, Deputy Managing Director, Evergreen Shipping Agency (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
Excellence in Manpower Training and Development Award   Awarded to the company, organisation or institute of higher learning that has contributed to the development of maritime manpower in Singapore by demonstrating commitment towards the nurturing, grooming and training of people, or achieving excellence in training.	Swire Pacific Offshore Operations (Pte) Ltd   Special Mention Award: Singapore Maritime Academy
Outstanding Maritime R&D and Technology Award   Awarded to the company or research institution in Singapore for outstanding innovation in the research, development or test-bedding of technology for the maritime industry.	Sembcorp Marine Ltd, Eco Ballast Water Management System
SRS Ship Owner of the Year Award   Awarded to the outstanding owner of quality Singapore-registered ships.	Pacific International Lines (Pte) Ltd
Bunker Award   Awarded to the outstanding bunker supplier or bunker craft operator in Singapore that has demonstrated commitment to quality standards, quantity assurances and customer satisfaction.	Sinanju Tankers Holdings Pte Ltd
Maritime Service Provider Award   Awarded to the maritime service provider that has demonstrated exceptional professional performance and contribution to Singapore’s maritime industry.	Lloyd's of London (Asia) Pte Ltd

 

Offshore & Marine Engineering Award   Awarded to the company that has contributed significantly towards the development of Singapore’s Offshore & Marine Engineering sector.	American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
Green Ship of the Year Award   Recognises quality Singapore-registered ship with energy efficient ship designs, evaluated and awarded based on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and/or other additional energy efficient measures, such as the use of abatement technologies and alternate fuels, etc.	Asiatic Lloyd Maritime LLP

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Annex B

FACTSHEET ON SKILLS FRAMEWORK FOR SEA TRANSPORT

 

About Skills Framework

1          The Skills Framework is an integral component of the Industry Transformation Maps and it is co-created by employers, industry associations, unions, education and training institutions and government for the Singapore workforce. The Skills Framework provides key information on sector and employment, career pathways, occupations/job roles, as well as existing and emerging skills required for the occupations/job roles. It also provides a list of training programmes for skills upgrading and mastery.

 

2          The Skills Framework aims to create a common skills language for individuals, employers, and education and training providers. This further facilitates skills recognition and supports the design of training programmes for skills and career development. The Skills Framework is also developed to build deep skills for a lean workforce, enhance business competitiveness and support employment and employability.

 

 

About Skills Framework for Sea Transport

3          The Skills Framework for Sea Transport aims to enable skills mastery in the Sea Transport sector. Jointly developed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Skills Framework has identified key skills and competencies for the sector, including emerging areas such as Business Data Analytics, Ship Cyber Security, and Ship Energy Efficiency. 

 

 

Who is it for?

 

4          The target groups for SF for Sea Transport are as follows:

 

• Individuals who wish to join or progress within the Sea Transport sector, to assess their career interest, identify relevant training programmes to upgrade their skills and prepare for their desired jobs;

 

• Employers will be able to recognise these skills and invest in training their employees for career development and skills upgrading;

 

• Education and training providers can gain insights on sector trends, existing and emerging skills that are in demand, and design programmes to address the sector needs accordingly; and

  

• Government, unions and professional bodies will be able to analyse skills gaps and design appropriate SkillsFuture initiatives to upgrade the manpower capability and professionalise the sector.

 

 

Key components of the Skills Framework

 

5          The Skills Framework for Sea Transport contains information on employment, career pathways, occupations/job roles, skills and competencies and training programmes. The key components include:

 

• Sector and employment information - provides information on trends and employment opportunities in the Sea Transport sector;

 

• Career pathways – depict the pathways for vertical and lateral progression for advancement and growth. Two pathways have been identified (i) Port, and (ii) Shipping and Maritime Services, which encompass 48 key job roles;

 

• Occupations and job roles - covers a total of 84 existing and emerging technical skills and competencies and 18 generic skills and competencies, and their respective descriptions. Some of the emerging skills identified include Business Data Analytics, Ship Cyber Security and Ship Energy Efficiency; and

 

• Training programmes for skills upgrading and mastery – provides information on training programmes which will help aspiring individuals and in-service employees acquire skills required for various jobs.