SSA Council Outlines Its Work Priorities for 2015/17

Playing an active role and making meaningful contributions to the workings and development of the Tripartite Maritime Manpower Taskforce initiatives for both seafaring and shore-based jobs will be one of the major priorities for the new Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) Council, its recently elected President has announced.

Addressing a press briefing in Singapore yesterday, Esben Poulsson said the initiative, spearheaded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), was important in assessing the current manpower situation, addressing the possible reasons of attrition and understanding how shipping can attract and retain more youth in the industry.

He said: “The SSA has been engaging its members for their views on some of these proposals. Complementary to the SSA’s work on this initiative, we will aim to address related issues such as productivity and costs; creating a ‘wow’ factor for the maritime industry to woo the younger generation; to look more closely at sustainability issues, and establish how best to be ‘future ready’.”

Next on the list is the need to develop the next generation of leaders in the maritime sector, something which is very important to the SSA. “We intend to place much greater effort and emphasis on the further development of the SSA Young Executives Group (YEG). We are very proud that over 1000 employees from SSA member companies are part of the YEG, which is still very active into its ninth year. To ensure continued interest and to attract new blood, the YEG committee will be deliberating on a whole array of new ideas and initiatives aimed at making real and solid progress in this crucial area. The YEG Committee will also consider ways to support our other industry partners under the MaritimeONE* initiative,” Mr Poulsson added.

The SSA Council has also identified the development of a dedicated ‘Singapore Clause’ as integral towards the long term success of the Singapore War Risk Mutual (SWRM) which was launched in February this year. The creation of such a clause is a major undertaking which we will commence shortly in partnership with the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF). The SSA will also continue to work closely with the SMF to promote the Singapore Ship Sale Form for wider acceptance.

Emphasizing the importance of the SSA carrying on the work of its last Council, the SSA President also listed the following on its work plan:

• Developing ways to improve Singapore’s ship finance capability across the board, and promote Singapore’s capital market to harness the vibrant and growing shipping ecosystem that already exists in Singapore.

• Monitor international tax agreements and champion new double tax agreements which would benefit Singapore’s shipping and offshore marine industry.

• Seeking assistance from the MPA to address the concerns of the offshore marine sector, badly affected by the current low oil price