A celebration of all things nautical

Maritime Week in S'pore next month offers shipping community a network opportunity
David Hughes, Business Times 17 Sep 08;

IT is difficult to pin down just what makes a successful maritime hub. Certainly, we are talking about more than just being a busy port. In the sense of being an important port with a vast range of related business activities going on, Singapore has always ticked the box. Indeed, it owes its very existence to its port.

And port activity here is still going from strength to strength, as evidenced by the fact that arrivals exceeded one billion gross tons in August - a month ahead of last year.

Partly, perhaps, being a maritime hub is about being a significant maritime nation. Again, that is a difficult concept to define. But one yardstick has to be the size of the national fleet. Singapore's fleet is among the 10 largest worldwide. And increasingly, the decisions about how these vessels operate, who insures them and where they will be drydocked are being taking here.

Another sign of a thriving shipping hub is the general 'buzz' - how much is going on with a maritime connection. Does the place feel like a maritime centre?

Surrounded by massive anchorages, cheek by jowl with huge container terminals, shipyards only just out of sight and shipping offices almost everywhere, Singapore certainly feels like a maritime centre, even its river is no longer full of cargo-laden tongkang.

In a month or so, the maritime side of Singapore will be even more prominent - it will be Maritime Week.

Overseen by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), this gathering of the international maritime community for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events is intended to be celebration of all things nautical.

MPA says the range of activities and events organised by itself, industry and research and education institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan atmosphere and profile of the participants, will reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

Certainly, the formula seems to be working. Singapore Maritime Week has grown in size and significance since the inaugural event in 2006, attracting more participants and event organisers.

The third Singapore Maritime Week will takes place from Oct 10-19. Main events include the Second Singapore Maritime Lecture, to be delivered by International Maritime Organisation secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos, and the Singapore International Bunkering Conference 2008, which is expected to attract more than 800 participants.

But there is a lot more going on. Bringing together industry-leading speakers from around the globe, The Future of Ship Registers conference will, it is hoped, provide an ideal networking forum for top executives involved in all aspects of ship registration.

The two-day conference will focus on key regulatory issues affecting flags, such as the ILO convention, the IMO model audit scheme, how the EU directive on class will affect owners, what owners expect from flags and want changed, LRIT and its impact on flag states, clarification of the new ship surveying regulations in China, developments on illegal fishing and reefers, and environmental issues involving Marpol and compliance.

However, an awful lot of other things will happen during International Maritime Week, including several substantial conferences that are sure to attract the attention of the international shipping community.

The Singapore Maritime Academy is running its 8th Maritime Technology Conference and Exhibition, while Marine Money is organising its 7th Annual Marine Money Asia-Week.

Other big events include the Sea- trade Sustainability Seminar, the 4th International Conference and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management and the 3rd International Ship Management Summit.

Even that line-up does not include the many supporting events planned, several of which are intended to increase public awareness in all things maritime. Full details of what is planned can be found on the Web at http://www.mpa.gov.sg/calendar_events/smw2008.htm.

Singapore now has an annual event that is unique with an very wide range of activities taking place. Together they will turn it into one gigantic shipping network opportunity, for a week.