Lui opens new maritime heritage exhibit at 10th Singapore Maritime Week

Lui opens new maritime heritage exhibit at 10th Singapore Maritime Week

THE expansion of the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) over the past decade is a reflection of the "growing role" that Singapore plays as an international hub port and maritime centre, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Sunday.

Mr Lui was at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Event Plaza to open the tenth edition of the SMW, which he noted has now become one of the largest maritime events in the region.

The SMW is driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and organised in partnership with the Singapore Maritime Foundation, Singapore Shipping Association, and the Association of Singapore Marine Industries.

This year's SMW, which runs until Friday, features 30 different events, including a maritime technology conference, the biennial Singapore International Maritime Awards, and an inaugural port authorities roundtable.

At the ninth Singapore Maritime Lecture on Wednesday, Orient Overseas (International) chairman Tung Chee Chen will speak on the changing dynamics of the container shipping industry.

About 54,000 people, including business leaders and maritime experts from the region and around the world, are expected to attend these events.

Among those on the confirmed list so far are Denmark's minister for business and growth Henrik Sass Larsen, AP Moller chief executive (Asia-Pacific) Lars Mikael Jensen, BW Group chairman Andreas Sohmen Pao and PSA International group CEO Tan Chong Meng.

During the week, over a thousand students and members of the public will go on maritime learning journeys which include sea tours to the Raffles Lighthouse on Pulau Satumu, Singapore's southernmost island.

At the launch event on Sunday, Mr Lui, who is also Second Defence Minister, opened a new maritime heritage exhibition at the MBS Event Plaza that traces the evolution of Singapore from its early days as a trading post into the global maritime centre it is today.

In a statement last Wednesday, MPA chief executive Andrew Tan spoke of the need for his organisation to keep abreast of industry trends and work closely with partners in order for Singapore's maritime industry to remain relevant for the next 50 years.

"SMW aims to prepare maritime leaders with new thought leadership events and networking opportunities so that they can collaborate and better address new and complex challenges ahead.

"At the same time, we want to better and more closely engage the public to raise the profile of the maritime industry," he said.

 


This article was first published on April 20, 2015.
Get The Business Times for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.