Your Excellency,

Prof Wang Rong, Chair, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University,

Participants of the 6th Maritime Public Leaders’ Programme,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

         Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the commencement of the 6th Maritime Public Leaders’ Programme, also known as the MPLP. This year, we are pleased to welcome 25 new participants from various regions around the world. I am especially happy to welcome our new participants from Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Nicaragua, Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zambia who are here to participate in MPA Academy’s flagship programmes for the first time. 

2       Singapore's maritime sector has grown significantly over the years. From an entrepôt trading post, the sector now contributes 7% to Singapore’s GDP and employs more than 170,000 people. We are today, one of the busiest ports and transhipment hubs in the world and a leading international maritime centre. 

3       To ensure our maritime workforce stays ahead of industry developments, Singapore places strong emphasis on human capital development and training. With this in mind, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore established the MPA Academy in 2012 which was repositioned in 2014 as a full-fledged academy. The academy now boasts dedicated premises and focuses on global maritime leadership development. 

4        Since then, the MPA Academy has ramped up efforts in maritime training and capacity-building through the launch of three flagship programmes; the Advanced Maritime Leaders’ Programme, the Maritime Public Leaders’ Programme and the Port Management Programme. These three programmes are conducted exclusively for both local and overseas senior port and maritime officials and maritime leaders. 

5       Going beyond individual leadership development, MPA Academy organised the inaugural Maritime Administrators’ Forum in April this year. It provided maritime leaders a platform for collective collaboration and the exchange of views and ideas on the challenges and issues faced in the maritime world. Last month, MPA Academy concluded the 3rd Port Management Programme, a five-day programme which was well-attended by 18 participants from different regions. 

6      Since 1998, MPA has been committed to providing training to the international maritime community under the Singapore-International Maritime Organization Third Country Training Programme. To date, we have shared our experiences with more than 1,800 officials from over 80 countries under this programme. 

7      Today marks the start of the 6th MPLP, another collaborative platform for leaders from maritime administrations across the world to interact and exchange best practices. Since the inaugural MPLP in 2011, I am happy to announce that we now have a total of more than 110 senior maritime officials from over 50 countries who have attended the MPLP. This is the highest number of participants we’ve had to date, and we would like to thank the governments of the participating countries for their strong support and confidence in our leadership programmes, without which, this achievement would not have been possible. 

8      MPA, together with our co-organiser from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), have worked tirelessly together to ensure that the MPLP remains both relevant and impactful. MPA Academy’s broad-based and rigorous MPLP curriculum delivers both depth and breadth. This year, the programme covers an updated content including a holistic range of issues faced by the maritime industry from shipping economics to governance issues. 

9      On top of classroom sessions and site visits, participants of the 6th MPLP will also get to attend the opening of the biennial Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON, in short). Organised by MPA, SIBCON is recognized as the world’s largest bunkering event. During the conference, participants would obtain first-hand industry updates from key players and have the opportunity to network with many players from across different sectors of the industry. 

10      Before I conclude, I would like to share with you a comment from a previous MPLP participant. He said: “The MPLP was a unique opportunity for me to spend a joyous week with many people, participants and presenters, who have shown themselves to be practical and pragmatic leaders. I came away with a renewed sense of purpose and a greatly expanded network of friends from the industry.” 

11      On this note, I wish all participants the same. Have a fruitful and inspiring programme ahead. 

12      Thank you.