Singapore Maritime Week 2022: Forging Ahead through Transformation

[By: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore]

The 16th edition of Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2022, the region's leading maritime event organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was opened today by Minister for Transport and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, Singapore, Mr S Iswaran. It is held from 4 to 8 April in hybrid format at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.

2. Themed "Transformation for Growth", SMW 2022  brings together over 10,000 delegates and distinguished experts globally from various sectors of the maritime industry to discuss pertinent issues centred around four key maritime pillars: Innovation, Sustainability, Maritime Services, and Talent.

3. During his speech at the Opening Ceremony, Minister Iswaran reflected on the disruptions the maritime sector had to face as a result of the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical developments, and chartered the way forward for the industry. He said: “The maritime sector plays a critical role in international trade and the global economy. To ensure its reliability, resilience and readiness for the future, the maritime industry must transform, and embody the essential elements of continuous innovation, boundaryless collaboration and strong talent development. This endeavour requires partnership across nations and between the public and private sectors, for which the Singapore Maritime Week can serve as a valuable platform.”

4. On the decarbonisation agenda,  Minister Iswaran said that Singapore is contributing at both the multilateral level and plurilateral level as a global maritime hub, and announced that Singapore will join the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors[1]  together with 22 other Signatory States. The Clydebank Declaration aims to establish green shipping corridors between ports by deploying zero-emission vessel technologies on voyages, or alternative fuel and charging infrastructure in ports.

5. Minister Iswaran also announced the establishment of a Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) by the Ministry of Transport and MPA to seek global perspectives on emerging trends and critical developments that will shape the maritime industry. Chaired by Minister Iswaran, the IAP comprises 12 cross-sector global business leaders who will hold the inaugural meeting at SMW 2022.

Singapore Maritime Lecture and SMW Leaders’ Perspective

6. The Opening Ceremony was followed by the return of the highly-anticipated Singapore Maritime Lecture and SMW Leaders’ Perspective, where industry experts gathered to examine the key challenges facing the industry, discuss opportunities for growth and explore pathways to maritime sustainability.

7. Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Singapore, Mr Heng Swee Keat, highlighted transformative opportunities and shared how the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM)[2] refresh will enable Singapore to sharpen its response to global trends impacting the maritime sector during his Keynote Address at the Singapore Maritime Lecture.   

8. Moderated by Mr Rashpal Bhatti, Vice President, Maritime Supply Chain and Excellence, BHP, the SMW Leaders Perspective’s panellist of maritime leaders will explore future opportunities for the maritime industry, and how transformation in sustainability, finance and talent will reshape the maritime ecosystem. The panellists include Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, Mr Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Ocean Network Express, Mr Stephen Fewster, Global Head of Shipping Finance at ING, and Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chairman of Shell Singapore.

Four key maritime pillars take centre stage at SMW 2022

9. This year’s programme features an exciting line-up of diverse events focused on four pillars – Innovation@SMW, Sustainability@SMW, Services@SMW, and Talent@SMW. Visitors can look forward to engaging discussions on digitalisation, decarbonisation, and maritime talent as well as a series of forums that gather industry experts to explore solutions to support the transformation of the industry.

Innovation @ SMW

10. The Innovation pillar kicked off with the official launch of the MarineTech Exhibition on 4 April. Open from 4 to 6 April to all SMW participants and the public, the exhibition provides first-hand experience with the latest marine technology and interaction with maritime enterprises, research institutes, and technology developers on the show floor as they showcase their R&D capabilities, technology products, and solutions.

11. This was followed by the Maritime Software Developers’ Live TV in the afternoon where software developers and industry experts will share insights into the maritime software development market for artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, data analytics, cloud, robotic, edge-computing solutions, and big data.

12. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport, will open the MarineTech Conference on Day 2 of SMW 2022 on 5 April. Global industry leaders and stakeholders at the conference will take a deep dive into maritime technology topics and trends, including cybersecurity, digital transformation of supply chains, maritime start-ups, additive manufacturing, digital trade standards, and more. The conference consists of a series of keynote dialogues, conversations and panel discussions from 5 to 6 April.

Sustainability @ SMW

13. Sustainable shipping continues to be a key agenda at SMW 2022. As part of MPA’s ongoing decarbonisation efforts, there will be two main conferences on Day 3 (6 April) for key stakeholders to develop actionable ideas to achieve International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Greenhouse Gas reduction targets.

 14. Mr Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry), MPA, will open the Accelerating Decarbonisation conference that will see industry speakers identifying green fuels development pathways and technologies. The conference will also highlight capabilities and technologies in decarbonisation solutions and feature several conversations and fireside chat. It will be held concurrently with the International Maritime and Port Technology and Development Conference and the 4th International Conference for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships jointly organised by Singapore and Norway.

15. Following the success of the IMO-Singapore Future of Shipping Webinars in 2020 and the Future of Shipping Conference 2021, the IMO-Singapore Future of Shipping Conference: Decarbonisation (FOSC 2022) returns to SMW 2022 on April 6 to tackle the critical issue of maritime decarbonisation. The conference aims to galvanise discussions towards identifying tangible decarbonisation solutions along the two pillars of “opportunities” and “gaps” in the maritime and energy value chains.
Mr S. Iswaran, Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Singapore, and Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO, will open and address the conference respectively.

Services @ SMW

16. As global supply chains becomes more complex, maritime services must also evolve to ensure it can support new demands in shipping and port operations.
Services @ SMW will feature the highly anticipated Maritime Leaders Forum which will be opened by Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive, MPA.

17. Held on Day 4 (7 April), the forum will see like-minded industry experts engage in panel discussions focused on green finance trends, changing nature of maritime risks, maritime dispute resolution in Asia, and more. This is in line with MPA’s continued efforts to address challenges and opportunities faced by the maritime services ecosystem.

Talent @ SMW

18. Focused on attracting, retaining, and nurturing talent in the maritime sector, the Maritime Manpower Forum held on the last day of SMW 2022  (8 April) will emphasise the importance of industry and tripartite collaborations to build a future-ready maritime workforce. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport, will open the forum.

19. In addition to presentations and panel sessions, the forum will also include the launch of the second run of the Maritime Leadership Programme (MLP) and the Maritime Transformation & Innovation Programme (MTIP) aimed at developing a multi-skilled maritime workforce.  

20. To cap off SMW 2022, the Singapore Maritime Foundation will announce the winners of the 3rd edition of the Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC) Maritime Case Summit in conjunction with Talent @ SMW.  The annual case competition challenges tertiary students to solve real-world business and sustainability challenges from leading multinationals.

Unveiling of ‘The WAVES’ and showcasing new MPA Vessel

21. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport, will unveil the development concept for ‘The WAVES’ on 8 April. Designed to co-locate R&D centres, start-ups and institutions, the integrated development along a waterfront will be a catalyst to spur collaboration among various stakeholders and aims to showcase the vibrancy of the maritime industry to Singaporeans and foster their affinity for maritime innovation and the sea.

22. Prior to this announcement, Ms Quah will also be commissioning a new MPA vessel as part of MPA’s decarbonisation journey. Powered by hybrid diesel electric engine, the aluminum lightweight catamaran is built for enhanced sea keeping performance and endurance, and will conduct enforcement patrols and respond to marine emergencies.

Launch of annual industry surveys to enable more effective policies and programmes

23. As part of continuous efforts to support the development of Maritime Singapore, MPA will be conducting annual industry surveys under the Statistics Act from 2022 to collect timely statistics on the industry’s activities, technology, sustainability and manpower developments. These statistics will enable more effective policies and programmes to benefit the maritime sector.

24. To minimise sampling errors, MPA will be conducting a one-time Maritime Census in 2022. This census will cover all companies in the Sea Transport sector[3] and they will be informed by email or post by June 2022.

25. These surveys will be driven by MPA’s Research and Statistics Department which was recently gazetted under the Statistics Act. The department was set up as part of ongoing efforts to ensure that policies become more data-driven and timely in meeting industry needs.

26. For more details on SMW 2022, visit https://www.smw.sg/.

[1] The Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors was launched by the United Kingdom at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 26th Conference of Parties in November 2021.

[2] More information is available in the dedicated news release on ITM Refresh.

[3] This includes companies under the category of Ship Owning/Operating, Ship Agency, Ship Management, Harbourcraft, Bunkering and Ship Chandling, Port Operator, Stevedoring and Lighterage, Ship Broking, Class Societies and Marine Surveying, as well as Maritime Technology.