25 September 2006

Distinguished Guests

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Good evening to one and all. A very warm welcome to this evening's celebration of the IMO World Maritime Day. Singapore is honoured to have been invited by the IMO Secretary-General, Mr Mitropoulous, to host this event in parallel to the celebrations in London. Joining us this evening are many overseas guests from several IMO member States, as well as organisations with consultative status with the IMO, including Intertanko*, Intercargo*, BIMCO* and IACS* (pronounced as ai-acks). I am told that, except for the weather and humidity, one could almost mistake this as a celebration at Number Four Albert Embankment, London*.

 

This is my first IMO event since becoming the Transport Minister. Although I am meeting many of you for the first time this evening, the camaraderie within the IMO fraternity and the passion 2. for shipping are already apparent to me. I Iook forward to getting to know many of you better in the months and years to come.

 

The IMO World Maritime Day parallel event is part of a global process initiated by Mr Mitropoulous to raise the profile of shipping beyond London and across the four corners of the world. It is therefore fitting that it also launches Singapore,s inaugural Maritime Week.

 

Maritime Week

The Maritime Week, an initiative of the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), similarly serves to raise the profile of the maritime industry in Singapore. It is a week of back-to-back conferences, workshops, seminars, and other events. It provides a platform for local and international participants to network, exchange ideas, and identify new business opportunities.

 

Tomorrow, we will have the Singapore International Maritime Awards presentation dinner. The 14th Singapore International Bunkering Conference begins on Wednesday, and the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Annual Conference the day after. Corporate events, such as company meetings, receptions and dinners, also pepper the week. These events add to the maritime buzz in Singapore, and build on what is already a vibrant maritime community here. I hope many of you will have the opportunity to participate in some of these upcoming events.

 

Theme of World Maritime Day - Technical Cooperation

The theme for this year's IMO World Maritime Day celebrations is "Technical Cooperation: IMO's response to the 2005 World Summit". Through technical co-operation activities, the IMO aims to contribute to the UN's wider goals by promoting sustainable development, human resource development and capacity-building.

 

In this regard, Singapore's efforts also dovetail well with those of the IMO. IMO Conventions and rules are only as effective as their implementation. Singapore therefore shares the view that technical cooperation that enhances the capacity of Member States and promotes responsible shipping is a central part of the IMO agenda.

 

To this end, Singapore is a keen supporter of IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme, or ITCP, and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IMO on the Third Country Training Programme. Singapore participates in IMO's Voluntary Member State Audit Scheme which aims to improve implementation of IMO treaties. Singapore trainers contribute at APEC ISPS* Implementation Workshops. Singapore also offers other capacity building programmes under a technical co-operation initiative administered by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Singapore Co-operation Programme, or SCP.

Besides Singapore, the IMO works with many other countries in delivering technical cooperation programmes. Indeed, the 2004-2005 biennium saw the highest ever number of activities executed under IMO's Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme (ITCP). During the biennium, IMO delivered more than 220 courses, seminars and workshops, training more than 7,000 participants. I congratulate the IMO for its success in this area, especially to Mr David Edwards, who is here with us today, and his team at the IMO Technical Cooperation Division. In many ways, the IMO has already forged ahead in delivering on its theme for this year's World Maritime Day.

 

Conclusion

A whole week of events lies ahead of us. As we celebrate shipping and foster responsible shipping, I hope you also enjoy yourselves and, for those visiting Singapore from overseas, do take some time to enjoy our sights. On that note, I wish you a fruitful week ahead, and an evening of good camaraderie.

 

Thank you.

*International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO)

*International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO)

*Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is the world's largest shipping organisation with members from 110 countries.

*The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is commonly known in industry by its acronym.

*IMO HQ's address.

*International Ship and Port Facility Security Code