Republic of Korea Senior Maritime Official Visits Singapore under the Distinguished Visitors Programme

Singapore played host to Mr. Sun Weon Pyo, Director-General, Maritime Safety Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MLTM) under the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) Distinguished Visitors Programme (DVP) from 3 to 4 November 2011.

Established in 1997, the DVP aims to engage senior maritime personalities who are prime movers and key opinion makers in the international maritime community. The DVP focuses on establishing and boosting good and long-lasting relations with these personalities and their organisations, as well as to strengthen bilateral maritime relations.

In conjunction with the DVP, MPA also hosted the 2nd bilateral meeting under the Memorandum of Understanding on maritime cooperation between MPA and MLTM signed in August 2010.

MPA's Chief Executive Mr. Lam Yi Young is confident that the bilateral MOU will strengthen maritime relations and bolster further exchanges between both parties. "The visit by Mr. Sun underscores the good relationship that Singapore and Republic of Korea enjoy in maritime issues and the cooperation between the two nations reinforces bilateral maritime ties, both personal and professional, between MPA and MLTM," says Mr. Lam.

As part of the DVP, Mr. Sun met up with MPA's Senior Management yesterday including Mr. Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive of MPA, to discuss issues of mutual interest such as cooperation on port state control, safety of navigation in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, maritime security in the region and protection of the marine environment. This afternoon, Mr. Sun also called on Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew. Please refer to Annex for photo.

Mr. Sun embarked on his career gaining experience as Director of the Legal Affairs, Logistics Planning, Distribution and Processing of Fisheries, Innovation, Fisheries Policy and Audit and Inspection from 2001-2007. He took over as the Director-General of the Maritime Safety Policy Bureau in the MLTM in March 2011. The MLTM is the key regulatory body that focuses on developing a comprehensive transport and logistics network in the Republic of Korea. Apart from his role as Director-General of the Maritime Safety Policy Bureau, Mr. Sun is also the Vice Chairperson (2011-2013) and Republic of Korea's Governor to the Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) Governing Council.

Mr. Sun said that this visit provided him with a valuable opportunity to experience the dynamic development of Singapore and to understand Singapore's important role as a premier global hub port. He added that the bilateral consultation mechanism established under the MOU would serve as a useful platform for the two countries to collaborate on issues of mutual interest. These include advancing the maritime safety agenda at both international and regional fora, as well as promoting marine environment protection.

Mr. Sun's two-day visit programme included visits to the newly commissioned Port Operations Control Centre in Changi where he was introduced to the state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Information System. Mr Sun also visited the Integrated Simulation Centre at the Singapore Polytechnic, PSA terminals and facilities as well as the ReCAAP ISC, which is located in Singapore.

End of Release.

Annex

Mr Sun Weon Pyo called on Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Lui Tuck Yew this morning.

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, expand the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.