Your Excellency, Bapak Suryo Pratomo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore

Bapak Muhammad Masyhud, Director General of Sea Transportation, Indonesia

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction
[in Bahasa Indonesia]

1. Selamat pagi. First, I would like to thank the Indonesian government and our friends at DGST for the warm hospitality extended to me and my team. This is my first work trip as Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. I am glad that it is to Indonesia - a very important partner of ours.
   
2. Returning to Jakarta feels like a homecoming for me. My first overseas posting was to the Embassy of Singapore in Jakarta from 2008 to 2010, and I hold many fond memories of my time here. I am glad to be back today; albeit in a different capacity and viewing things with a different lens. But I return with the same objective in mind: to strengthen our longstanding friendship and to work together for the mutual benefit of our people.
   
3. As my Bahasa Indonesia is still not very proficient, I will continue the rest of my speech in English.
   

   
   A New Era of Indonesia-Singapore Partnership
   [in English]
   

4. We are living in very uncertain times. The peaceful and stable rules-based, multilateral world order that our countries had embraced and thrived under is no longer what it once was: Great power contestation has re-emerged; Global institutions and norms are being challenged; Principles of free trade and economic liberalisation are being questioned; and the most concerning of all – escalating armed conflict between States.
   
5. Amidst the global uncertainty, I am very glad that Singapore and Indonesia remain committed to strengthening our partnership, and we were honoured to welcome Bapak Presiden Prabowo to Singapore last week for our annual Leaders’ Retreat. In particular, Bapak Prabowo and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong reaffirmed their shared belief in upholding the multilateral, global rules-based order and promoting regional integration through ASEAN. Our leaders also committed to deepening our already strong bilateral relations and charting a new era of Indonesia-Singapore cooperation.
   
6. Indonesia and Singapore are two old friends that go way back. We share much in common. Our history, people and economies are deeply connected with the sea. And as close neighbours and fellow littoral States of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (or “SOMS”), our interests are inherently intertwined.
   
7. It is in our mutual interest that the SOMS remains open and relevant. This is why both countries, together with Malaysia, have been engaging user States, industry partners and relevant stakeholders to discuss issues related to navigational safety and marine environment protection in the SOMS through platforms such as the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection of the SOMS. We are also working closely on initiatives to enhance navigational safety and environmental protection in the Straits through the Tripartite Technical Experts Group on the Safety of Navigation in the SOMS. But there is scope for us to forge a closer partnership and do more together.

   
   Forging a Closer Indonesia-Singapore Maritime Cooperation
   

8. I would like to highlight three broad areas where we can enhance our maritime cooperation.
   
   

   Vessel safety
   

9. The first area is on vessel safety. It is in our collective interest to enhance vessel safety and avoid marine incidents. Such incidents may result in injuries and endanger the lives of seafarers; cause pollution that hurts the marine environment and livelihoods of local communities; as well as inflict financial losses to cargo and ship owners. There may also be wider repercussions on the global supply chain and trade if navigation through the SOMS is impeded due to any of such incidents.
   
10. I am glad that MPA, DGST and our industry partners understand the importance of this and are working together to enhance vessel safety. MPA and DGST have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in October 2023 to facilitate the sharing of information on Port State Control and Flag State Control matters. This sharing of information is useful as it allows both authorities to follow-up promptly with the respective shipowners to rectify deficiencies identified during Port State Control inspections. Under the Memorandum, MPA and DGST will also exchange best practices and attach officers to each other to participate in Port State Control and Flag State Control inspections.
    
11. Today’s workshop on “Stay Compliant, Stay Sailing” is yet another good example of our combined effort to raise awareness and facilitate important discussions with industry partners on the relevant requirements that vessels, including passenger ferries, must comply with to enhance vessel safety. I hope that DGST and MPA will continue building on this good progress: keeping communication channels open, exchanging knowledge with each other, and engaging industry partners to enhance vessel safety.
    

    
    Contingency planning and emergency response
    

12. The second area is on contingency planning and emergency response.  Despite our best efforts to enhance vessel safety and prevent marine incidents, incidents may unfortunately still occur. In the event of an incident, two key factors would affect its impact: (1) the process – are we taking the right steps? and (2) speed – are we doing it fast enough? By taking the right steps, and doing so efficiently, we will have better control of the situation and be able to achieve better outcomes. 
    
13. We are close neighbours that share the same busy Straits, and with many vessels, including passenger ferries, plying between us. An incident in one of our waters will very likely affect the other. So, for our emergency response, we would not only need to get our internal processes and speed of our individual response right, but also be coordinated and where necessary, support each other.
    
14.  We have made much progress on this. Under the Revolving Fund Committee, both countries, and Malaysia, have regular discussions and conduct exercises to enhance regional coordination and strengthen our response capabilities for oil spills. Indonesia and Singapore have also carried out joint ferry mishap contingency exercises in the past. 
    
15. With the advancement of technology such as drones, and with more vessels using alternative fuels, there is scope for us to work together to review and update our plans to incorporate the use of new technologies, as well as develop responses for a wider range of scenarios.

    
    Digitalisation and Decarbonisation
    

16. The third area is on maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation. Following the adoption of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy as well as the recent approval for the basket of mid-term measures at MEPC 83 in April, the maritime industry can expect an increased uptake of zero and near-zero GHG fuels and technologies. The development of new technologies and the multi-fuel transition present us with many new opportunities. There is scope for us to work together on this, particularly to equip our people with the relevant skills to be prepared for these new developments. 
    
17. For the past 20 years, DGST and MPA have been cooperating in the field of maritime education and training through an MOU on human resources development of our officers. The MOU has helped to raise their technical capabilities and facilitate cross-learning between our agencies. Over 1,800 of our officers have benefitted from the training programmes and workshops under the MOU since it was first signed in 2005. This has helped to develop a high level of trust and understanding between us. We are very glad that the MOU was extended earlier this February.
    
18. We can explore expanding the scope of our current collaboration to include information exchanges or even projects on maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation. We could also involve industry players to collaborate on some of these projects. I am certain that enhanced cooperation on maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation will benefit us all.
    

    
    Conclusion
    

19. Indonesia has been and will always be a valued partner of Singapore - both in the maritime sector and beyond. I am proud that we not only call Indonesia a close neighbour and old friend, but also a trusted partner whom we can weather storms with. Just like how our leaders ushered in a new era of Indonesia-Singapore relations last week, we should also take this opportunity to enhance our bilateral maritime cooperation and bring it to new heights.
    
20. I hope that everyone will have fruitful discussions during today’s workshop and that we will all find new collaboration opportunities in Jakarta, our Kota Kolaborasi (or the City of Collaboration).
    
21. I look forward to meeting and getting to know everyone. Thank you.