DPM Gan Kim Yong at the Singapore Maritime Lecture 2026

Mr Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization,
My colleague Mr Jeffrey Siow, Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance
Mr Murali Pillai, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Good morning to all of you. I am very happy to join you this morning for the Singapore Maritime Lecture.

Introduction

For centuries, the sea has been the great connector of civilisations. Today, it remains so.

More than 80 percent of global trade by volume moves by sea.

Energy, food, manufactured goods, and critical inputs all flow through maritime networks that span the globe.

These networks are not peripheral to the global economy.
They are its arteries – sustaining production, enabling consumption, and connecting markets across continents.

From Efficiency to Fragility

For much of the past half-century, these arteries have operated within a system that was broadly stable — underpinned by navigational rights and freedoms enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

These rights and freedoms are existential not only to Singapore’s status as a maritime hub, but also to the growth and functioning of the global economy.

Singapore was one of the architects of UNCLOS, which clearly stipulates the Right of Transit Passage for all ships and aircraft through straits used for international navigation. 

This right is important for all nations around the world that depend on maritime connectivity and trade.

Under UNCLOS, open trade has flowed freely, and shipping networks were optimised for efficiency.

Routes were designed to minimise cost.

Supply chains were structured for scale.

Interdependence was seen as a source of stability and resilience.

Today, UNCLOS continues to be the key pillar of the international rules-based maritime order. But what was once a multilateral system underpinned by shared commitment is now increasingly fragile.

Recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz have brought this reality into sharp focus.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints — has been severely disrupted since the start of the conflict between the US/ Israel and Iran.

In recent days, the US and Iran have sent mixed messages about the status of the Strait, underscoring just how volatile and fluid the situation has become.  

What began as a disruption in a narrow waterway has quickly cascaded across the global economy — through energy prices, transport costs, and production chains.

This is not just a regional disruption – it is a systemic shock, a reminder that instability at a single maritime chokepoint can transmit quickly across the global economy within days, with its knock-on effects lasting for months or even longer.

It is not surprising that interdependence is increasingly seen through a different lens.

Not just as efficiency — but as exposure.

Not just as connectivity — but as vulnerability.

Three Structural Shifts

These trends reflect deeper structural shifts in the global system.

First, trade and connectivity are no longer pure economics. They are increasingly shaped by strategic and security considerations.

Supply chains are being reconfigured not just for efficiency, but for resilience.

Governments and firms are reassessing dependencies, diversifying sources of supply, and in some cases, building redundancy into their networks.

Export controls, sanctions and investment restrictions are becoming more common.

Maritime routes are evaluated not only for efficiency, but also for risk and reliability.

As a result, the maritime system is becoming more contested, and more closely intertwined with geopolitical competition.

Second, the fragmentation of rules. The global trading system has long depended on shared rules, common standards, and effective institutions. But these frameworks are coming under increasing strain.

Regulatory regimes are diverging across jurisdictions.

Dispute resolution mechanisms are under pressure.

Coordination of responses to crises is becoming more difficult.

For the maritime sector, this means greater uncertainty and complexity.

Third, the dual transition — digital and energy, and increasingly, artificial intelligence.

Digitalisation is reshaping how trade flows are managed — through data, platforms, and real-time coordination, improving visibility and efficiency.

At the same time, the energy transition is reshaping how ships and port infrastructure are powered. International shipping, which contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, must be part of the solution to the climate challenge.

Alongside these, a third shift is emerging — the application of artificial intelligence across supply chains and maritime operations.

Increasingly, AI will enable better forecasting, optimisation of routing, and coordination of flows across more complex networks.

In Singapore, we are advancing this through our AI Mission on connectivity — applying AI to port operations, logistics, and supply chains to strengthen safety, efficiency and resilience.

The benefits of AI will depend on trusted data and interoperable systems. Without this, AI risks becoming another source of fragmentation, rather than a tool for integration.

These three shifts will undoubtedly introduce greater challenges. But they will also open up new opportunities for our businesses and our peoples.

As supply chains are reconfigured and new standards take shape, firms that can adapt quickly will be better positioned to compete. They need to redesign their operations, diversify their networks, and adopt digital and AI-enabled solutions.

New areas of growth are also emerging – in logistics optimisation, maritime digital services, green shipping and alternative fuels. These will create new layers of value across the maritime ecosystem.

For workers, this will translate into new roles and capabilities – from data and AI specialists supporting logistics and port operations, to engineers and technicians working on new fuels and sustainable infrastructure.

But to seize these opportunities, we will need to keep systems connected, interoperable and trusted.

The Role of Maritime Hubs

This is why strengthening the connective infrastructure of the global system is so critical.

Maritime hubs are central to this. At a time when pressures are pulling systems apart, hubs that anchor connectivity, standards and trust become even more important.

Maritime hubs perform three critical stabilising functions.

Anchoring Connectivity

First, anchoring connectivity. Even as trade routes shift, the need for physical connectivity remains.

The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has led to rerouting, delays, and congestion. Such shocks increase the importance of hubs that can provide flexibility and optionality, enabling flows to be redirected quickly and efficiently.

Singapore is an example of such a hub.

As the world’s busiest transhipment port, connected to more than 600 ports worldwide, we are a key node in global maritime networks.

With the development of Tuas Port, we are strengthening our capacity to handle greater volumes, deepen our connectivity, and respond more effectively to disruptions.

When completed in the 2040s, Tuas Port will be the world's largest fully automated container terminal, with an annual handling capacity of 65 million TEUs.

In a more volatile world, such connectivity is not just an economic asset — it is a crucial part of resilience not only for ourselves, but also for the rest of the world.

Shaping Standards

Second, shaping standards. The future of maritime trade will continue to be governed by standards.

In digitalisation — how data is shared, secured, and used; and

In decarbonisation — how fuels are produced, certified, and deployed.

In both areas, the objective is the same – to ensure that the next generation of maritime systems remains open, interoperable and connected.

This provides clarity for investment decisions, enables coordination across borders, and prevents fragmentation from leading to disconnection.

Singapore is working with partners to advance both areas.

As announced by Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow, we are now launching OCEANS-X, a unified digital platform enabling seamless data sharing between Government and industry, and also between ports.

By providing common, standards-based data, we improve operational efficiency today, while laying the foundation for future innovation.

Singapore has also taken early steps to develop multiple net-zero fuel pathways to support the maritime industry’s green transition.

Building on our position as a leading bunkering hub, we have awarded methanol bunkering licences and introduced a Technical Reference for methanol.

A Technical Reference for ammonia bunkering is also underway.

Internationally, we are establishing partnerships through nine Green and Digital Shipping Corridors to accelerate both decarbonisation and digital cooperation.

Standards enable interoperability. They improve efficiency. And increasingly, they build trust.

They are also a source of influence. Countries that help define and align standards can shape how systems connect and scale.

This will become even more important when AI is deployed at scale. AI systems depend on trusted, shareable data across ecosystems — from shipping movements to port operations and logistics centres.

In Singapore, we are developing the Maritime Digital Twin — a dynamic virtual model of the Port of Singapore that uses real-time data to optimise efficiency and strengthen safety and security.

We will also release new tools for the industry to test products and services using the Digital Twin this year.

Alongside platforms such as the Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System, this will enable real-world applications of AI — from optimising vessel turnaround to dynamically rerouting flows in response to disruptions.

In this way, AI can help make maritime networks not just more efficient, but also more adaptive and more resilient.

Providing Trust

Third, trust. In a fragmented system, trust carries a premium.

Shipping depends not only on infrastructure, but also on confidence –

That international frameworks will be respected.

That ports will operate reliably.

That rules will be applied consistently; and

That contracts will be honoured.

Singapore’s maritime ecosystem is built on these foundations.

Strong rule of law.

Transparent governance.

A thriving ecosystem of maritime services such as finance, insurance, legal and arbitration.

Singapore remains a steadfast steward of the UNCLOS. We are committed to upholding UNCLOS as the legal framework that underpins navigational rights and freedoms, including the right of transit passage, for maritime trade.

Last Thursday, Singapore delivered a joint statement, on behalf of Fiji, Malta and Jamaica, at the UN to reaffirm the right of unimpeded transit passage in straits used for international navigation.

Singapore also strongly supported the declaration adopted by the IMO Council last month, which reiterated that the navigational rights and freedoms of commercial vessels must be respected, and called for the protection, safety and welfare of seafarers.

Beyond the maritime domain, we also remain deeply engaged in institutions and partnerships that support global trade, like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and most recently, the Future of Investments and Trade Partnership.

This is how small, medium and trade-dependent economies like Singapore can reinforce our continued relevance in global networks. 

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, the events in the Strait of Hormuz are a stark reminder of how much the global economy depends on a few critical chokepoints, and the role of international frameworks and norms in sustaining the international rules-based maritime system.

When one of the arteries is disrupted, the impact is immediate and far-reaching. But they also remind us that connectivity is not guaranteed – it must be sustained, strengthened, and when necessary, rebuilt.

In the years ahead, the question is not whether shocks will occur. It is whether our systems can absorb the shocks, and continue to function well.

That is the task before us – and we must approach it with resolve, with cooperation, and with a shared commitment to keeping the world connected.

Thank you very much.