Mr Abu Bakar, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council, 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Welcome to the Marine & Maritime Leadership Breakfast, co-organised by MPA and the Workplace and Safety Health (WSH) Council. 

2    We just saw a very powerful video on the importance of choosing safety. This morning, all of us have made that choice – to be here, and to focus on safety because of how important it is to all of us.  

3    This is the second year in a row that MPA is organising this breakfast as part of Singapore Safety@Sea week. We believe it is important to make time to reflect, share, and renew our collective commitment to safety. 

4    As mentioned at yesterday’s Opening, we are very encouraged to see the industry coming together to support Safety@Sea Week. This year, we have 18 events in total – 12 led by industry and 6 by MPA – with about 1,500 participants expected across the week.

5    This would not have been possible without the strong support and contributions of our partners. It also reflects an important principle: WSH is a collective responsibility. 

6    For us in the marine and maritime sector, several incidents in the past few months have given us reason to pause and reflect:

• A few weeks ago, there was a diving incident off Raffles Reserved Anchorage that resulted in a fatality;
• In June, there was a collision between a supply boat and a landing craft that led to three fatalities; and
• Earlier in the year, there was a container fire onboard Ever Lenient at Pasir Panjang Terminal, which fortunately did not result in major injuries.

7    These incidents remind us that we can never take safety for granted. Even with good systems and processes in place, incidents can still happen. What is important is that we learn from them, proactively share these lessons across the industry, and keep improving together.  

8    Under Singapore’s WSH 2028 vision, Singapore aims to reduce the workplace fatal injury rate to below 1.0 per 100,000 workers, and the major injury rate to below 12.0 per 100,000 workers.

9    Achieving this would require a collective effort from government, employers and workers across the maritime community. 

10    Today, I would like to frame our safety responsibility around the Triple “A” framework of Safety Leadership: Aware, Available and Act.

1st “A” — AWARE 

11    The first “A” is Aware. Strong safety leadership starts with knowing what is happening on the ground. Leaders should ask themselves:

• Are we truly in touch with what is happening on the ground, or are we relying only on dashboards and reports?
• Do we understand how our operating environment and risks are changing?
• And do we know whether these risks are being addressed effectively.

12    Leaders must look beyond lagging indicators such as accident rates. We need to pay attention to near-misses, unsafe behaviours and systemic gaps before they result in an incident.

13    Awareness must also extend to emerging risks as the maritime industry evolves.

14    For example, as the sector transitions towards alternative fuels such as LNG, ammonia, methanol – and potentially hydrogen and even nuclear in the longer term – workers accustomed to conventional fuels will need to understand and manage a very different set of hazards.

15    In addition, Geopolitical conflicts and supply-chain disruptions can also place greater operational pressure on crew, increasing fatigue and the risk of accidents.

2nd “A” — AVAILABLE 

16    The second “A” is Available. Leaders must be available to listen, especially when safety concerns are raised.

17    We need to create an environment where workers at every level feel safe to speak up about hazards and near-misses without fear of reprisal.

18    I made this point yesterday at the Opening of Safety@Sea Week and it bears repeating: reporting a near-miss or raising a safety concern is not an admission of failure. In fact, it is an act of courage. 

19    By reporting, you are helping to gather greater awareness and making sure others learn from the mistake, which could help save a life tomorrow. Our workers must know this, and our actions as leaders must reinforce it.

20    Being available also means ensuring our frontline workers have the right equipment, resources, tools and support to carry out their work safely.

21    When leaders are visible, attentive and open to feedback, we send a clear signal that safety matters, and every employee matters.

3rd “A” — ACT 

22    The third “A” is “Act”. Awareness and availability must ultimately lead us to Act.

23    Leaders must translate safety insights into concrete decisions — whether by investing in safer equipment, improving processes or holding people accountable where necessary.

24    We must act promptly when concerns are raised. Because delayed action erodes trust and sends the message that safety is not truly a priority.

25    At the same time, we should recognise and reinforce safe behaviours. Positive reinforcement helps make good safety practices part of everyday culture.

26    Most importantly, leaders must be prepared to make the difficult call: to stop an unsafe operation, when necessary, even in the face of commercial or operational pressures.

CLOSING

27    If leaders consistently practise these three “As” — Aware, Available and Act — the right behaviours will cascade through every level of the organisation, turning safety values into a strong and enduring safety culture.

28    MPA remains committed to making our maritime sector safer. Today’s conversation is an important part of that commitment — bringing maritime leaders together to share, learn and, most importantly, translate our collective commitment into action.

29    I look forward to a meaningful discussion with all of you today.