Maritime stakeholders equipping workforce, collaboration to ensure sea safety

Several trials will be conducted during this year’s Safety@Sea week.

Stakeholders have emphasised the importance of ensuring safety at sea through workforce preparedness and collaboration amidst the evolving maritime sector.

During the opening ceremony for this year’s Safety@Sea Week, Murali Pillai, senior minister of state, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, said that the maritime sector is facing increasingly complex global challenges. This can be tackled by “equipping our workforce for future challenges, harnessing collective expertise through close collaborations and partnerships, and drawing upon technology and innovation to augment our capabilities.”

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), also said in his keynote address that the importance of government-industry collaboration and initiatives to promote a safety-first culture at sea.

The 12th Safety@Sea week, to be held until 18 July, is a gathering of local and international maritime experts and the maritime community to promote awareness and facilitate discussions on maritime safety.

Also part of the event was the conduct of a multiagency chemical spill exercise to strengthen Singapore’s operational readiness. This was held off the southern coast, involving 11 vessels and over 150 personnel from more than 10 government agencies and industry partners.

The exercise simulated a methanol spill from a collision involving a methanol-carrying tanker, triggering a multi-agency response.

As part of efforts to enhance safety in port operations, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)  is also working with Skyports Drone Services, TFG Marine and CBS Ventures for the city-state’s first shore-to-ship drone trials for delivery and retrieval operations from bunker tankers.

Singapore is also enhancing its navigational safety by progressively installing smart buoys in its waterways from 2026. These will have environmental sensors and communication systems to transmit real-time data, such as currents and waves, to the MPA.