The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has rectified 80 per cent of the 77 application systems it had found to be affected by the millennium bug. All 77 systems are expected to pass the Y2K test by March 1999. These systems, which support the various functions of the Port, Shipping and Training Divisions, are also linked electronically to the shipping community.

This was announced by Dr John Chen, Acting Minister for Communications, at the opening of a seminar on Overcoming the Millennium Bug - Addressing the Challenges in the Maritime and Port Industries, held this morning at the Orchard Hotel.

In his opening speech, Dr Chen said that the MPA is taking the Y2K problem seriously. Since 1996, the MPA has taken active steps to ensure that its systems and critical equipment are Y2K ready. In addition, it has put in place appropriate contingency plans to tackle the millennium bug.

Dr Chen also highlighted the repercussions that Singapore, as the world's busiest port with more than 130,000 vessel calls, would face if its port operations were disrupted by the Y2K bug. They include safety problem in port operations, delay in cargo delivery, and loss in revenue as well as loss in port users' faith in Singapore.

The millennium bug could also pose dangers for the shipping industry. Navigational safety aids on board ships that are Y2K prone could result in maritime disasters such as vessel collisions. Hence, Dr Chen stressed that it was important for every organisation - every government agency, every shipping line, every ship owner, every port terminal operator, and every business large and small, to work together to address the pressing concern.

More than 250 participants from the maritime industry attended the seminar. It saw the gathering of key experts on the Y2K issue from a shipping line, classification societies and port terminal operator to present the challenges faced by them and their solutions.

End of Statement.