A Look Back at 2016

2016 has been a year of milestones for Maritime Singapore. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) celebrated our 20th anniversary with the achievement of the Singapore Quality Award. The Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) crossed our 50th birthday and successfully maintained our ranking amongst the top 5 registries in the world.

Organisational and Service Excellence

The Singapore Quality Award (SQA) recognises organisations who have met the highest standards of excellence in management systems and practices, and for achieving world-class standards of performance. MPA is honoured to be conferred the SQA in 2016 and named the most business-friendly government agency for the fifth consecutive year in the annual Pro-Enterprise Ranking (PER) survey across public sector.

Understanding the ever-changing needs of customers today, we have been continually improving our services to the shipping community. Some of the recent initiatives driven by the SRS in 2016 include the enhancement to the Annual Administrative Fee (AAF) Scheme and the expansion of the MARINET online services for certificates issued by the SRS. These initiatives aim to provide greater administrative convenience and reduce operating costs for the shipping companies.

Golden Jubilee

Maritime Singapore crossed yet another milestone as the SRS celebrated our Golden Jubilee in 2016.

First established in 1966 under the Marine Department, the SRS aimed to address the high unemployment rates in Singapore through the creation of seafaring jobs for Singaporean seafarers. As our fleet size and reputation grew, we made a concerted effort to be recognised as a quality Flag Administration to complement the development of Singapore as an International Maritime Centre.

Over the years, the SRS has gone from strength to strength. Today, we are the 5th largest registry in the world, with a fleet of over 4,700 vessels aggregating over 88 million GT. This would not have been possible without the steadfast support of our shipowners, entrusting their fleet under the Singapore Flag.

The good performances of the SRS under the Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU regimes are testaments to our continued partnership with shipowners in upholding high standards. We will continue to work hand in hand with our stakeholders and keep the Singapore Flag flying high.

Embracing 2017

As we move towards 2017, the SRS is committed to service excellence and will continue to support the shipping community by improving our business processes. One of our upcoming initiatives is the introduction of E-certification, which is in line with the industry’s transformation towards smarter ships and intelligent ports. This will reduce the administrative burden and reliance on traditional paper certificates. We will also continue to introduce new e-services and improve service standards for an enhanced business experience.

On the manpower front, The Tripartite Maritime Manpower Taskforce for Seafarers (TF-Sea), chaired by MPA, has introduced the “Training Berth Relief Support” to help shipping companies sustain their intake of Singaporean cadets despite the challenges currently faced by the shipping industry. This additional measure can be tapped upon by employers in conjunction with the set of TF-Sea measures, including the “Cadet Allowance Reimbursement Scheme” announced earlier.

As one of the world’s foremost maritime nations, Singapore is conscious of the need to reduce the impact of shipping and port activities on our environment. In 2011, MPA launched the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative (MSGI), a S$100-million programme to encourage eco-friendly ship designs and technologies, cleaner fuels and more environmentally-conscious operations. With positive feedback and participation from the industry, we have enhanced the MSGI with a focus on raising awareness and promoting alternative fuels for the longer term. Through the two new programmes – the Green Awareness Programme (GAP) and the Green Energy Programme (GEP) – we will continue to work with our partners to promote responsible and sustainable shipping for the future.

The SRS has come a long way in the last 50 years and these achievements would not have been possible without you – our partners who have entrusted your fleet and companies under Maritime Singapore. But our work does not stop here. The persistent headwinds that we have been facing, coupled with the increasing digitisation and disruption on a global scale, will continue pose challenges to the shipping industry, challenges that we will strive to overcome. We will continue to work hand in hand with you, our partners and stakeholders, to scale greater heights in shipping standards, environmental sustainability practices and achievements. Together, we will make Maritime Singapore Future Ready.