The year of 2021 marks two important milestones for maritime Singapore. This year, we celebrate the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)'s 25th Anniversary and the 55th Anniversary of the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS).

MPA was established in 1996, with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre, and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. Throughout the years, we have continued to partner the industry and stakeholders to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate the growth of our port and its operations, and to promote maritime manpower development and R&D within the maritime sector. MPA also promotes high standards of ship and environmental safety standards through the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS).

The SRS was established in 1966 with the goal to address Singapore's high unemployment rate through creating job opportunities as seafarers for Singaporeans. Since then, SRS has grown from strength to strength and is currently ranked the fifth largest ship registry in the world, with a fleet of more than 4,000 vessels aggregating over 93 million GT.

We have come a long way throughout the years and would like to highlight that the achievements of MPA and SRS would not have been possible without the support of all our partners and stakeholders. The past year has been a particularly challenging year as everyone experienced the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and working through the uncertainty of when the pandemic will come to an end. Moving forward, we seek your continued support and we will continue to work hand in hand with the industry and our stakeholders and strive to overcome any challenges together.

Stay tuned for future MPA announcements of key events and join us in celebrating MPA's 25th Anniversary and SRS's 55th Anniversary.