Sponsored By

Singapore looks beyond its borders for global seafarer pipelineSingapore looks beyond its borders for global seafarer pipeline

To ensure a future supply of ship’s crew the Singapore Maritime Foundation is working to source and train seafarers from other countries.

Marcus Hand, Editor

January 16, 2025

1 Min Read
SMF chairman Hor Weng Yew speaking at the New Year Conversations event
SMF chairman Hor Weng Yew speaking at the New Year Conversations eventCredit: SMF

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) and the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) have developed a number of initiatives in recent years to encourage both young and mid-career talent to take up the profession of seafaring. However, these programmes only go a small way to providing the number of seafarers required by companies based in the maritime hub.

Speaking at the SMF’s New Conversations event on Wednesday the foundation’s chairman Hor Weng Yew said, “Global seafaring as many of us know is a real challenge, it is a major issue for ship owners and ship managers alike.

“So, recognising this, SMF and MPA are working to build a larger and more diverse pool of seafaring talents for Singapore in the coming years we are looking to extend our net by sourcing and training overseas candidates starting with neighbouring countries.”

He said that through partnerships with regional and overseas maritime academies to develop a global seafarer pipeline for maritime Singapore.

Seafarers will not only provide crew for vessels but later in their careers will transition key shoreside roles such as fleet managers, HSE safety officers, commercial and operations leaders, lawyers, and insurers.

“We believe that this initiative will strengthen Singapore's talent base and we enforce our reputation as a heart for maritime leadership,” Yew stated

Read more about:

SingaporeSMFMPA

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

Get the latest maritime news, analysis and more delivered to your inbox
Join 12,000+ members of the maritime community

You May Also Like