Friends in the maritime community,
Students,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening.
It's good to see so many of you here. Let's start off this evening with a few mind teasers.
These optical illusions tell us a lot about our perceptions. We tend to perceive things that are immediately apparent to us and we take a longer time to notice things that are not so obvious.
Likewise it is natural to gravitate to things that are more familiar to us. In the course of my interaction with students, I find that those who choose maritime studies as their discipline have a positive view of the industry and job prospects. On the other hand, non maritime studies students are more cautious. This is because the maritime industry is not in the public consciousness and hence not an obvious choice.
There is no illusion that the maritime industry is growing. According to a recent survey by business intelligence consultancy Fusion Consulting, the Asia-Pacific region accounts for almost 40 per cent of the global maritime market in terms of revenue. Fusion Consulting also forecasts the Asian maritime market to grow at an annual rate of 7 per cent till 2010. Asia is home to about half of the world's merchant fleet, home to 14 of the world's top 20 ports, and to 3 of the world's largest shipbuilding nations.
Singapore is strategically positioned in Asia, we are well placed to leverage on these growth opportunities. Our maritime industry contributes about 7% direct value add to our GDP. We also saw continuous growth in the cargo handled and the number of shipping companies setting up or expanding their operations here.
We have now close to 100 international shipping groups resident in Singapore. We also serve as a one-stop hub for maritime enterprises offering a comprehensive suite of services such as ship finance, marine insurance, ship broking and chartering, ship management, maritime law and arbitration etc, all of which meet the needs of the global maritime industry.
Opportunities abound not only for maritime students but also for those from other disciplines seeking a challenging career in maritime. We have a number of distinguished industry representatives here tonight who would be happy to share with you their experiences working in this industry. I am certain that you will find their stories interesting.
Before I conclude, I will do two short commercials:-
First, I am happy to announce the launch of a new website: maritimecareers.com.sg. Specially designed for students like you, maritimecareers.com.sg provides in-depth write-ups on the various sectors that make up the Singapore Maritime Cluster, including Shipping, Port, Offshore & Marine Engineering and Maritime Services.
More importantly, you can apply for jobs online on this portal. So far, about 150 maritime companies have registered to post jobs on the portal since the website went live less than a month ago. To our maritime employers present tonight, I would like to thank you for your support. We look forward to your suggestions on how we can work with you to improve use of the website.
Second, SMF together with industry partners have launched a 4-part documentary series with Channel NewsAsia on the maritime industry -entitled "Sea of Opportunities". The topics cover Transportation of Cargo, Buying a Ship, A Ship's Call for Repair and FPSO Conversion. The intention is to showcase the vibrancy of the industry and the exciting jobs of maritime professionals. We were privileged to have Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Finance and Transport, giving the overview of the industry in the first episode.
The first episode was shown last Thursday and the second episode, today at 9.30 pm and the remaining two episodes over the next two Thursdays at the same time. So please tune in and find out more.
In closing, I would like to quote Sir John Lubbock who said, "What we see depends on what we look for". Do not just look at the obvious - like the optical illusions pictures we saw earlier. Look beyond. Another popular saying is: "Where you stand depends on where you sit". And if you look at the world from where WE STAND, you might then see the vast potential in the maritime industry.
Have an enjoyable evening.
