Maritime Singapore gears up for a week-long buzz of activities

• Participants are spoilt for choice with more than 25 maritime events held in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week 2010
• SMW 2010 will be officially launched by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs

The emphasis on "People" resonates strongly this year as the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) adds several outreach programmes to its staple of maritime events. Through active participation in all-new maritime-themed competitions and sea tours, everyone from students and families to the man-on-the-street will join the maritime community in celebrating all things maritime as Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) kicks off amidst an industry optimistic for growth.

SMW will be held from 25 to 30 April 2010. Organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and in its fifth installment this year, SMW is Singapore's iconic maritime show and is testament to the republic's growing role as a host for major maritime events and development as a leading international maritime centre. SMW 2010 will be officially launched by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs on 25 April at 2.00pm at VivoCity, The Plaza.

"With its core spectrum of conferences, forums, business and networking events, the Singapore Maritime Week continues to attract key maritime partners and the international maritime community to our shores." said MPA Chief Executive, Mr Lam Yi Young. "SMW has always been about People, Ideas and Opportunities. This year, we are putting stronger emphasis on People and on reaching out to the community at large by showing and sharing with them what Maritime Singapore is all about through interactive land and sea-based outreach programmes."

This year, MPA, the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI), Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) and Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) are collaborating to organise two outreach programmes - The SMW Photography Competition and Amazing Maritime Race.

The SMW Photography Competition
The SMW Photography Competition with a theme of "Our Maritime Moments Through Your Lens" attracted more than 650 photograph submissions. The competition started in January this year, where participants were asked to interpret Maritime Moments as they see and experience them around Singapore. To add to the maritime experience, budding and professional photographers were taken on special sunrise sea tours to catch port activities within Singapore waters, culminating with a rare tour of Raffles Lighthouse.

Winning and shortlisted photographs from the Open and Youth category are on display at VivoCity from 21 - 25 April in a special lighthouse-themed exhibition. Catch these unique and striking glimpses of Maritime Singapore and vote for your favourite Maritime Moment.

The Amazing Maritime Race
In an exciting four hour race around Singapore, participants of the Amazing Maritime Race will get to experience the island's unique maritime heritage and learn about the thriving maritime industry. They will compete in teams of four to stretch their resourcefulness and mental power to solve clues, complete tasks and answer questions on Singapore's maritime cluster and heritage. More than 800 people will be participating in the Open and Youth Categories, where the oldest participant is 63 years old, and the youngest is only 3 years old. The race will be officially flagged off at VivoCity on Sunday 25 April by Mr Michael Chia, Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation.

Maritime Learning Journeys for students
To showcase maritime-related careers to students from ITE and tertiary institutions, MPA is arranging for more than 240 students to go out to sea and gain access to port facilities for a firsthand experience of Singapore's dynamic maritime industry. The Maritime Learning Journeys, which will be held from 26 to 28 April, will provide insights of maritime operations carried out in the Port of Singapore to show them the importance of Singapore's maritime industry.

The 4th Singapore Maritime Lecture
The 4th Singapore Maritime Lecture is a high-level forum where prominent personalities share their strategic insights on important maritime issues. This year's speaker is Capt Wei Jia Fu, Executive President and CEO of COSCO group, who will present a keynote speech on China factors in relation to the shipping industry. Invited guests include CEOs and decision-makers within the maritime industry. This year's Singapore Maritime Lecture follows on the success of the past three lectures helmed by Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the International Maritime Organization Secretary-General, Mr Efthimios E. Mitropoulos and BW Group Chairman, Dr Helmut Sohmen.

Other Events
SMW's line-up of events also include the Maritime Technology Conference and Exhibition (MARTECH) 2010 organised by the Singapore Maritime Academy and co-organised by MPA; the Seatrade Asia Awards 2010 and Seatrade Tanker Industry Conference organised by Seatrade; and the Piracy and Sea Robbery Conference 2010 jointly organised by BIMCO and ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre. The Nanyang Technological University will also organise a seminar on Vision and Roadmap for R&D priorities in maritime environment, technology, business, policy and security.

Prominent speakers at the various SMW events this year include Mr Robert Lorenz-Meyer, President of BIMCO, Mr Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade, Bjorn Tore Markussen, Managing Director of DNV Clean Technology Centre, Capt Graham Westgarth, President of Teekay Marine Services and Chairman of INTERTANKO and Mr S.S. Teo, President of the Singapore Shipping Association.

The dynamism and the breath of maritime issues discussed during SMW continue to be major draws for maritime decision-makers. The range of activities and events organised by MPA, the industry and research and educational institutions reflect the strong partnership within Maritime Singapore towards developing Singapore as an international maritime centre.

For more information and the full calendar of events, visit www.smw.sg.

Annex A: Factsheet: SMW Highlights

About Singapore Maritime Week (25 - 30 April 2010)
Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) is the leading maritime event in Singapore. Driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. The range of activities and events organised by MPA, the industry, and research and educational institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan profile of participants, reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

SMW has grown in size and significance since the inaugural event in 2006, and is attracting more participants and event organisers from around the world. Participants can experience something new every year, as activities are added to the line-up, and as eminent speakers share their insights and participate in dialogues on topical maritime issues. This dynamism and the good range of issues discussed during SMW are major draws for maritime decision-makers, as are the many business networking platforms. This is why Singapore Maritime Week is all about PEOPLE, IDEAS and OPPORTUNITIES for the maritime community.

About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996 with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre (IMC), and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore's port and maritime development, taking on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative. MPA partners the industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, grow the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.