Singapore Maritime Foundation Inks Four MOUs for One Mission

[By: The Singapore Maritime Foundation]

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) has signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in recent months with partners across the maritime ecosystem including Jurong Port, Oza Family Foundation, Singapore Shipping Association and Swire Shipping. These collaborations further expand access to scholarships, internships, and industry exposure for Singapore’s young talent of all backgrounds — underscoring SMF’s commitment to building a future-ready workforce for Maritime Singapore. 

The background of each MOU is as detailed:

Jurong Port (July 2025)
Under a three-year MOU starting in 2025, Jurong Port will award four MaritimeONE scholarships and one MaritimeONE internship annually. This initiative, managed by SMF, allows tertiary students to deepen industry knowledge and develop skills through structured programmes, while offering firsthand exposure to one of the world’s leading multipurpose ports.

Oza Family Foundation (August 2025)
SMF signed an MOU with Mr. Punit Oza from the Oza Family Foundation to contribute one MaritimeONE scholarship annually from 2025 to 2027. This partnership highlights the role of private philanthropy in nurturing talent and enabling deserving students to pursue maritime studies and careers.

Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) (August 2025)
Through its three-year MOU with SMF, SSA will contribute three to four MaritimeONE scholarships annually from 2025 to 2027. SMF will oversee scholarship administration and promotion, leveraging SSA’s industry network to reach more youths and showcase diverse opportunities in shipping.

Swire Shipping (September 2025)
SMF’s partnership with Swire Shipping from 2025 to 2027 will connect students with industry opportunities through one MaritimeONE Scholarship and two Internships offered annually. This collaboration reflects the company’s commitment to investing in Singapore’s maritime talent and equipping young people with global perspectives.

These MOUs are part of a wider series of MOUs with partners representing shipping, port operations, maritime services, classification societies, associations and foundations (refer to Annex below) who have pledged their support to build a sustained talent pipeline. They collectively demonstrate the breadth of SMF’s talent development strategy — by expanding scholarships and internships, SMF and its partners are lowering barriers of entry, broadening access, and giving youths the tools to thrive in a rapidly transforming maritime sector. 

“On behalf of the Board of the Singapore Maritime Foundation, I would like to thank the sponsors of the MaritimeONE Scholarship, especially the companies that have committed to multi-year support of the MaritimeONE Scholarship and other talent development programmes. Their commitment underscores the collective will of Maritime Singapore to invest in talent, enabling the industry to remain resilient and innovative as we navigate the future,” said Mr. Hor Weng Yew, Chairman, Singapore Maritime Foundation at the recent MaritimeONE Scholarship Award Ceremony 2025.