Nine key shipping and maritime luminaries have arrived in Singapore for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)'s third International Advisory Group (IAG) Meeting from 21 to 22 Sep 98 at the Regent Singapore. They include Mr Tim Rhein, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of APL Ltd, and Mr Sumate Tanthuwanit, CEO, Regional Container Lines Public Co. Ltd, who are attending the MPA's IAG meeting for the first time (refer to Appendix 1 for list of members attending the 3rd IAG meeting and their bio-data).

The new line-up of IAG members will serve a 2-year term from 1999 to 2000. (refer to Appendix 2 for full list of IAG members).

Chairing the meeting will be Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large and Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation. He will host a welcome dinner for the IAG members this evening.

The MPA 3rd IAG meeting will discuss the MPA's plans and future strategies in the context of global trends for the cruise industry, dedicated terminals, logistics management and marine insurance. The IAG members will also attend briefings by key government agencies and call on Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Peter Ho, Chairman of MPA, said, "The MPA International Advisory Group, which was established in 1997, has proven to be an important means of cultivating ties with distinguished personalities in the shipping world. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge in maritime-related matters. Tapping on the experience and expertise of these members will help MPA to keep abreast of maritime developments, broaden our operational perspectives and generate new ideas to keep Singapore at the forefront of shipping trends".

Other highlights of the programme include a lunch to be hosted by the Minister for Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Mr Yeo Cheow Tong. The two-day meeting will conclude with a dinner hosted by Dr John Chen on 22 September as Acting Minister for Communications and Information Technology.

The MPA established the IAG to advise the Authority on how Singapore can develop further as a leading port and international maritime centre, and to enhance Singapore's profile in the international maritime community.

Attachments:

Appendix 1 - list of members attending the 3rd IAG meeting and their brief bio-data/ Appendix 2 - full list of IAG members (1999 - 2000).

End of Release.

Appendix 1

MEMBERS ATTENDING MPA'S 3rd INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING AND THEIR BIO-DATA.

Mr Ronald Bergman
Immediate Past President, Baltic & International Maritime Council
Mr Bergman is the Immediate Past President of the Baltic & International Maritime Council (BIMCO). He was President of BIMCO from June 1997 to May 1999 and has served as a Board Member of BIMCO since 1993. Founded in 1905 as The Baltic and White Sea Conference, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is now the world's largest private shipping organisation with over 2,650 members world-wide in more than 100 countries.

Professor Ernst G. Frankel
Professor of Ocean Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Ernst G. Frankel is currently Professor of Ocean Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has held that position since 1968. He is also Senior Advisor to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Advisor to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He holds directorships in several companies including Neptune Orient Lines Ltd (NOL).

Mr Dirk Goedhart
Former Managing Director, Corporate Forwarding, Philips International B.V.
Mr Goedhart is the former Managing Director of Corporate Forwarding, Philips International B.V, which is a market and profit-oriented business function for the international physical movement of goods and customs issues worldwide. He held this position from 1985 to 1998. Mr Goedhart is also non-executive President Director of Bossche Container Terminal and Chairman of the Cargo Co-ordinating Forum at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. He was appointed as a Board Member of Neptune Orient Lines Ltd (NOL) in the first half of 1997.

Mr Roy E Hearrean
President, Board of Harbor Commissioners, Port of Long Beach
Mr Hearrean was elected President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in August 1999. Since 1991, he has been serving as a Commissioner of the Board. He was instrumental in the development of the International Trade Council, a committee composed of representatives from trade associations throughout Long Beach, whose mission is to promote international trade and export development in Southern California.

Ambassador Satya N Nandan
Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority
Mr Nandan was elected as the first Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority on 21 March 1996. He was Fiji's representative to the United Nations (1970-76 and 1993-95), and had served as Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. He also served as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Law of the Sea from 1983 to 1992.

Mr Nils-Gustaf Palmgren
Chairman, UK P & I Club
Mr Palmgren worked as an Assistant Lawyer at Effoa - Finland Steamship Company Ltd in 1961. Within the company, he had held various appointments including Manager of Legal Department and Deputy Managing Director. In 1987, he was appointed Managing Director of Neptun Maritime (Finland) Co. Ltd and Managing Director of Neptun Juridica Co. Ltd in 1991. Mr Palmgren has been a Board member of the U.K. P&I Club since 1983. He was the Vice-Chairman of the U.K. P&I Club from 1992 - 1995, and the Chairman from 1995.

Mr Willem Scholten
Chairman, Management Board, Rotterdam Municipal Port Management
Mr Scholten's career centred on port management, the offshore and salvage sector. In 1980, he joined the Rotterdam Municipal Port Management (RMPM) as its Deputy Managing Director. In 1982, he returned to Smit International to take up the appointment of Managing Director of a salvage company Smit Tak. He was on the Board of Smit International Holding from 1985 to 1990. In 1990, Mr Scholten returned to the Rotterdam Municipal Port Management as its Executive-Director. In 1992, he was appointed as Chairman of the Rotterdam Municipal Port Management and is currently holding that position.

Mr Tim Rhein
President and Chief Executive Officer, APL Ltd
Mr Tim Rhein became President and Chief Executive Officer of the American President Lines (APL) Limited in October 1995. He graduated from the University of Santa Clara and served as a Captain in the US Army Transportation Corps prior to joining APL in 1967. Mr Rhein had served in various key positions in marketing, operations, land transport and logistics before becoming President and CEO of APL.

APL is currently the world's fifth largest ocean transportation company with a fleet of 76 containerships. It provides container transportation and logistics services through a network of high quality intermodal operations with state-of-the-art information technology. The merger of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and APL in 1997 has expanded APL's presence in the major trades routes. APL current services more than 100 cities around the world.

Mr Sumate Tanthuwanit
Chief Executive Officer, Regional Container Lines Public Co. Ltd
Mr Sumate Tanthuwanit graduated from the Chulalongkorn University with a Bachelor Degree in Engineering (Hons) in 1968. In 1972, he obtained a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology. Mr Tanthuwanit began his shipping career with his family-owned Ngow Hock Company in 1973. In 1980, he established the Regional Container Lines (RCL) to provide feeder services between Thailand and Singapore. He is currently the Group President of RCL Public Company Limited. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Thai Prosperity Terminal Company Limited and Sintanachote Company Limited, which provide wharf, container freight station and bonded warehouse facilities.

RCL Public Company Limited is a Thai feeder line operator. Over the years, RCL has established itself as Asia's leading common feeder operator, offering a comprehensive and efficient network of services.

Appendix 2

MPA INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP MEMBERS (1999 - 2000)

1. Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large and Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation - Chairman IAG
2. Mr Ronald Bergman, President, Baltic & International Maritime Council
3. Mr Brian Bolam, President, Penske Logistics Europe
4. Professor Ernst G. Frankel, Professor of Ocean Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5. Mr Dirk Goedhart, Former Managing Director, Corporate Forwarding, Philips International B.V.
6. Mr Roy Hearrean, Commissioner, Port of Long Beach
7. Mr Toshiaki Ikezawa, President, Yokohama Port Development Public Corporation
8. Mr Sun San Lin, Chairman, Evergreen Marine Corporation
9. Ambassador Satya Nandan, Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority
10. Mr Nils Gustaf Palmgren, Chairman, UK P&I Club
11. Mr Tim Rhein, President & CEO, APL Ltd
12. Mr Willem Scholten, Chairman, Management Board, Rotterdam Municipal Port Management
13. Mr Sumate Tanthuwanit, CEO Regional Container Lines Public Co. Ltd