DPM Gan Kim Yong at the Singapore Maritime Week 2026 Fireside Chat

Moderator (Yong Hsin Yue, Managing Director, Kuok Group Singapore): Good morning everyone. Wow, we have a packed hall today, good to see everyone here. Good morning DPM Gan, good to see you.

DPM Gan Kim Yong: Good morning.

Moderator: Thank you for your very comprehensive and insightful maritime lecture. We are meeting at a very turbulent time in the world and a very particularly consequential one for the maritime industry. And you sit in the middle of a lot of these challenges, as DPM [and] Minister for Trade and Industry, Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, now Chairman of the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, so I am sure that the audience is very much looking forward to what you have to say today. I am going to start with a few questions and then we are going to then throw it out to the floor, so be ready with your questions. Let us dive straight in, thank you.

DPM, you talk about the fragility of global trade today, as well as the deep structural shifts that are happening in the world, with global trade becoming more fragmented. More recently, we have seen important waterways and trade routes being weaponised in the Middle East. The question for you is for Singapore, how should we think about diplomacy and partnerships that are required to keep these trade routes open and secure? And furthermore, are the international frameworks in place sufficient for the trade and security challenges ahead? Or do they need to evolve meaningfully?

DPM Gan: Thank you, these are very big questions, I will need an hour to answer that. I will try to keep it short.

First, I think we have to recognise that the transit passage through the Straits that are used for International Navigation is very critical and it is a right. And UNCLOS has specified that ships and aircraft that travel through these Straits must have a right of transit passage – this is something that we have to recognise and have to preserve, and that is why we need to continue to uphold rules and regulations in this regard. And we will need to continue to also strengthen our partnerships with like-minded countries so that we can uphold this right. Beyond just the right of transit passage, we also need to uphold the rules-based trading system. And this has been under strain in recent years and recent months, particularly as you see tariffs being erected; trade restrictions are being introduced; and non-tariff measures are also being erected by many countries to protect their own industry, to ensure to their economic security. So, there are many reasons for these to be erected.

But what it means is that all these new measures will restrict and impede trade, and will cause the global economy to slow down and weaken the connectivity between economies. And that is a very critical challenge that we are facing. Singapore, particularly, being an open and small economy, we depend on trade for our economy to grow and develop. Trade is three times our GDP – this is how important trade is for us. We are also a maritime hub, that is why we are here this morning. And connectivity is very crucial – not just on shipping, on supply chain, but also on trade and a free flow of data and also, the free flow of talent, ideas, investments and capital. So I think this is very important for hub economy like Singapore.

And that is why in recent years, Singapore has been working very hard to bring together partners who are like-minded; who share the same view and the same commitment – that we need to keep our rules-based trading system forward [looking]. Keep pushing it forward, pushing the boundaries and preserving what we have developed so far as a connected world. This is something that we will continue to work on.

Recently, we formed a Future of Investment and Trade [Partnership], a partnership among 16 countries. We are all small and medium economies, we decided to come together to look for opportunities to be able to strengthen trade relationships with one another, despite the geopolitical contestation among major powers. There will continue to be opportunities for us to work together and we are very happy to be able to work on this partnership and it is growing from strength to strength. We are slightly ahead of time, we actually have a focus on supply chain resilience as one of our first workgroups to work on, so I think we are on our way to strengthen our connectivity among us.

Moderator: Back on the question of critical maritime routes, as you know Singapore being, “this is free flow of goods is very existential to us”, as you said. And of course, the waters around us meaning the Straits of Malacca and Singapore being very critical. Can you comment on all the partnerships and diplomacy points and areas of work that we are doing to ensure that the Straits of Malacca and Singapore remain open?

DPM Gan: Thank you. I think Straits of Malacca and Singapore is another Strait that is used for International Navigation and therefore, the rights of transit passage similarly applies to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. In fact, not many people know that the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is actually a lot busier than the Strait of Hormuz. I am not trivialising the challenges we face in Hormuz, I must qualify that, but it is important to also remember that about one third of global seaborne oil trade goes through Straits of Malacca and Singapore. And every year, we have about 100,000 vessels that go through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. So I think this Strait is very important to us, and it is not only important to Singapore, but important to all the countries that are bordering the Straits – Malaysia, Indonesia, including Singapore. It connects the east and the west, so it is also important for the rest of the world.

I am happy to say that all three countries that are surrounding the Straits have been working very closely together – we have a cooperative framework that allows us to work together to ensure the safe passage of vessels, the safety of the vessels, the safety of the seafarers, and also to work together to prevent the pollution that may be caused by the ships going through in the Straits. This will ensure the continuing operation of the Straits smoothly, so I think this is something that is very important and something that we have worked over the years, working together to make sure that we maintain the Straits and on a [basis of] shared responsibility.

Moderator: Thank you. One of the big structural shifts that you mentioned is countries prioritising national security and strategic resilience over economic efficiency. We are seeing some sort of a reindustrialisation of sorts with state-directed investment flowing into key sectors such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, energy and even shipbuilding. How is Singapore navigating a world where rules are increasingly shaped by national security, and where are we making our most deliberate bets to remain competitive, whether in advanced manufacturing, AI, the green economy, etc.?

DPM Gan: Well, this is a question that should be posed to my colleague, Minister Jeffrey Siow, because he leads one of the important working group under our economic strategy review which specifically addresses this question of how do we navigate our way forward in this very challenging landscape going forward? This is something that we have been discussing, deliberating [on], and I think we have shared some of the findings of this review recently during our Budget. But I think more details will be shared quite soon. The report is almost ready and we will release the details.

Just to give very quick comments on this issue. The world is changing very rapidly – we used to say that this is a changed world. In fact, this is a changing world because it changes all the time. We thought it has changed and it continues to change again. And sometimes it flip-flops within the same day, so you have to figure out what is happening. Every morning when we wake up, just like this morning before I came for this event, I have to check the news to make sure my speech is still valid. Because you never know, after you say something, someone will tell you, “Actually, this is no longer the case, something has changed overnight”. So, we need to be very mindful. But these changes, these challenges, also bring about opportunities. I think what is key is for us to be nimble, to be able to react very quickly, size up the situation, make an assessment and move very quickly, and adapt very quickly to the new environment.

And that is why we set up this Economic Strategy Review (ESR) – to help us think a little bit longer term. Not just about tomorrow, not just about next year, and not even just about next ten years, but how do we reposition ourselves in this environment that is changing all the time – how can we make ourselves more nimble, how can we allow ourselves to be more flexible, to adapt more quickly, I think this is very important. And one key strategy that we must uphold is to first keep Singapore open – open to trade, open to shipping, open to ideas, open to talent, open to data flow, open to capital and that is one key strategy we must preserve.

And the second one which is also important, continue to invest in our people. And because our people is our most critical resource and the only resource that we have, so we must continue to invest in them, train them, upgrade them so that they are able to seize these opportunities when they come our way.

Moderator: Yeah, thank you DPM. You know recently, maybe if you do not mind adding a little bit more on the AI strategy for Singapore because that was a big push during the Budget that we are going to put quite a lot into AI, what are we thinking of doing there?

DPM Gan: Thank you very much. AI is one of the core strategies that we have adopted and we have announced and shared during the Budget. And this is also part of the recommendations from the ESR. And one of our key strategies in AI is really to adopt a whole of nation approach and whole of government, whole of society approach. And that is why Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is now chairing the National AI Council, because we acknowledge that AI will span across multiple agencies, multiple ministries and multiple domains, and it is important for us to look at AI in a coordinated way. And that is why it needs to have a National Council to coordinate the efforts by every ministry, every agency, every department, and every stakeholders in the industry to also embark on the same journey, have the same vision and share the same commitment to implement and introduce AI in our economy.

Under the Council, we have several initiatives. The first one is Champions of AI – we want to work with selective companies, those who are committed to embark on this AI transformation journey. We are prepared to work with them, hold their hand, we work in lockstep together, we implement AI in their companies, change their business models [so] that they use AI as the core of their business. This is something that is quite exciting, but every change is painful, and therefore it is important for us to acknowledge the challenges and we are prepared to partner you to go on this AI transformation journey.

The second AI initiative is AI Missions, and this covers four key areas. Connectivity is one and [the] shipping industry is one of the key components in this connectivity, and that is why there are many initiatives that are related to AI that is being showcased outside [at the exhibition]. Beyond connectivity, we are also looking at the finance industry, this is where our strength is. And the healthcare industry, which we have critical need to make sure that AI is applied in our healthcare system to help us to improve our healthcare services. And fourth, which is also very core to our economy, and that is advanced manufacturing. This is something that we have been doing well [in], and we want to continue to do well [in] by leveraging on AI. So these are the four key missions that we are embarking on. We hope that through these missions, we can attract more global talent on AI to Singapore and attract Singaporeans to have an interest in developing capability and specialty in AI.

Lastly, in order to bring all these AI stakeholders into an ecosystem, build an ecosystem – not just individual silos of excellence but bring them together to form a centre of excellence for AI for the whole of Singapore – we have decided to also build an AI park – to put together the entire community of AI practitioners. Whether you are solution providers, whether you have problems [and are] looking for solutions, whether you are professionals working in AI companies, we want to bring you together so that there is synergy among the whole community of AI practitioners.

So these are the four strategies that we are embarking on – first with the National Council on AI overseeing everything; secondly, embark on the Champions of AI, nurturing the champions of AI; and thirdly, embark on AI Missions; and fourth, build a park, AI park, to bring the community together as an ecosystem.

Moderator: Thank you DPM. I must thank the government for supporting the businesses in this journey, very, very important journey. And as a beneficiary, I am very grateful. It is a painful journey, so continued support is very welcome.

Next, and this is going to be my final question before I throw it out to the floor. I think we cannot sit here today and not talk about energy security. The recent developments in the Middle East have actually told us how vulnerable global energy flows are, and Singapore is a major energy trading and bunkering hub, sitting astride one of the world's busiest sea as well as air corridors. So as disruptions become more frequent or prolonged, how do we better integrate energy security considerations into our economic strategy, including in shipping, port infrastructure, fuel choices, etc.?

DPM Gan: Thank you. Energy security has always been one of the concerns of Singapore because we do not produce our own energy. As you know, our electricity supplies are generated primarily using natural gas and we do not have natural gas ourselves. We import our natural gas – some through the pipe, natural gas from Malaysia, from Indonesia, and some through liquefied natural gas from afar, so we depend largely on natural gas.

At the same time, we are also expanding our renewable energy sources through solar. Unfortunately, solar requires land surface for sunlight, and Singapore is an island, we have very limited land surface and we are mostly built up already. So we are making use of our rooftops, making use our carpark tops and even your gardens, we are now covering with solar [panes], even our reservoirs, we are also putting solar cells on our reservoirs. So we are maximising our solar generation but because of the land limitation, the contribution of solar energy to the overall energy needs is going to be somewhat limited.

Beyond solar and our gas-fired power station, we are also looking at importation of electricity. We have been negotiating and discussing with our neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, and we hope to be able to make progress in importation of electricity, and that will supplement our energy needs and provide greater security. At the same time, we have also encouraged diversification. Bearing in mind that we do have a refinery industry in Singapore, and these refineries will produce many of the petroleum products that will be needed by our economy, whether it is gasoline, diesel and so on. But they will also need crude and we have also been working with our refineries to ensure that their supply of crude is also diversified. So, diversification is one important strategy. We have multiple fuel pathways for energy generation but at the same time we also have multiple sources of supplies for all these fuel. We will continue to work on this.

We are also experimenting with newer forms of energy which may not be ready for deployment. Things like hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and some of it are [at the] experimental stage and we hope to be able to push the boundaries. And finally, we are also exploring nuclear as an option. We cannot close the option for now. I think we continue to explore, and we hope to be able to have a mature nuclear technology that is applicable to Singapore in time to come. We have to monitor; we have to watch the development; understand the technology, so that when the technology is available, we can assess whether they are suitable for deployment in Singapore. So I think that option has to be kept open so that we can continue to strengthen our energy security.

But recently, you would have also read [about] our collaboration with Australia and our agreement with New Zealand on supply chain resilience – that Australia will send us natural gas and we will send them the refined petroleum products. This is mutually beneficial because they have been selling and exporting natural gas, and they have been our supplier. So we want to make sure that we support one another, do our best to refrain from restricting exports to each other. This is something that is important as part and parcel of the overall energy security strategy for us.

Moderator: Thank you, thank you DPM. I will now throw questions to the floor, open it up to the floor. Yes, over there.

Q1: Good morning sir, my name is Captain Ashok Batura. I am a proud veteran of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), having served during the era when NOL produced leaders of the highest calibre for our nation, including our second Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong. I am also the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Malta for Singapore. Sir, in today's volatile global climate, we have seen how critical supply chain resilience is for our national security. Just as Singapore Airlines secures our skies, I believe there is a compelling strategic argument for Singapore to once again have a flagship presence on the oceans to guarantee our maritime sovereignty. My question sir, does the government see a strategic path for a new national shipping line to enhance Singapore’s resilience? Thank you sir.

DPM Gan: Thank you, thank you for your service to Neptune Orient Lines. Indeed, we have had a good company running for many, many years, and we continue to look forward to your contributions as Honorary Consul.

I think in terms of a business, whether it is a shipping business, we will have to take a business outlook and see whether it makes sense for us to continue to operate and own the Neptune Orient Lines. Although we no longer own Neptune Orient Lines – we [also] still have Pacific International Lines (PIL) – what is important for us is to make sure that we continue to have strong partnerships and stakeholders – whether they are international shipping lines or our own shipping lines or regional shipping lines, because our ports cannot just be for our shipping lines alone. It must be a port for the region, a port for the world.

And that is why PSA operates ports all around the world and we want to have partnerships, to establish strong partnerships with our stakeholders around the world. Because [if you are a] port alone, it does not work. You need to be connected to other ports, and that is why we need to have a partnership with our important and strategic partners, that is what we have been doing. I am sure PIL will continue to work very hard for Singapore and for the rest of the world, and to continue to serve our various trading partners.

Moderator: Thank you, next question please.

Q2: Thank you DPM and very good morning. Kunal Nakra, representing Swire Shipping and also a council member of the Singapore Shipping Association. My question to you, Minister, is with your hat as Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade, maritime transport is the global backbone. But what would be your key message to the governments around the world and institutions alike, to keep maritime and seafarers at the centre of policy making, and not it becoming a reaction to some equation that we do not have control over. So how do we ensure the governments and international institutions keep maritime seafarers at the centre of policy making, not reacting to it when things go wrong. Thank you.

DPM Gan: Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much for that question. In fact, it is important for us to work with various fellow stakeholders. IMO (International Maritime Organisation) plays a very important role in bringing seafarers, shipping lines and the whole entire maritime industry together, and to continue to work with the governments around the world to ensure safety and free passage for ships, so that we can continue to trade freely with one another. But at the same time, we also have to be realistic because countries will have their national concerns, national interests and some national security. And from time to time, they will have these issues take precedence for these countries and they will introduce measures and rules that may not be favourable to free passage and the growth of the maritime industry.

When that happens, it is incumbent on all of us who are like-minded, who believe strongly in a rules-based system to stand up and to speak out so that we continue to push the boundaries and extend our connectivity to facilitate trade that will eventually benefit all countries. This is something that is always work in progress.

But even as we push hard for freedom of navigation and transit passage, there will always be pushback from time to time because of various considerations. It is an ongoing effort, and I think it is important for like-minded countries to come together, to share ideas, to share views. And that is why this Singapore Maritime Week is so important – that we bring people together, great minds together, to discuss the way forward: how do we continue to strengthen maritime industry, how do we continue to ensure safety and freedom of navigation across the seas or the world. Thank you.

Moderator: Thank you, number three.

Q3: Hello, good morning. I am Captain Hari Subramaniam, I am Chief Commercial Officer with Howden Group. More importantly, I am Deputy Chairman of MPA Singapore’s National Maritime Safety at Sea Council. I would like to ask specifically with this turmoil going on in the Middle East, how are we prioritising seafarers and evacuation to make sure they are well taken care of, their well-being, I think even their families are going through this. I know Secretary-General has already spoken on a lot, but from Singapore's perspective, how are we prioritising that specifically to this? I am going to sneak in one more question because I have got the mic, but given these commodities chokepoint with the Strait of Hormuz, is this a trigger now to try and elaborate more on alternate fuels? Is this something that is going to take things to the next level and also speed up [to] 2050? Thank you.

DPM Gan: Thank you very much. I believe our MPA is working very hard to maintain contact with the ship owners and operators to ensure the safety and security of our seafarers onboard our ships. At the same time, we also been working very closely with the ports along the coast to render support and assistance where necessary. So, I think the safety and well-being of the seafarers and their family members are at the top of our minds, and we continue to work hard to ensure their safe return. This is something that you can be assured that we are working very hard on.

And your question as to whether this is a good trigger to accelerate our effort towards decarbonisation and alternative fuels, I think we must always press on with the alternative, greener transition. This is something that is important not just for ourselves, but for our children and many generations to come.

Even as we discuss, debate and argue about climate change, the pace of climate change does not slow down to wait for us. It continues and it accelerates. The earlier that we embark on this journey, the faster that we can undertake the transition, the better [it] will be for us, for the future. So I think I would continue to urge all the stakeholders to work together to explore alternative fuels, to explore how we can support the maritime industry on the transition to a greener future, more sustainable future. It is something that we will continue to work on.

Moderator: Thank you. Sorry, anybody? Number seven, over there.

Q4: Good morning DPM Gan. Thank you for your time speaking to us and all the delegates from around the world, welcome to sunny Singapore. My name is Captain Venkatraman, I represent LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) traders and ship owners. And my question is further to Captain Hari’s question, the first question, it is good for the seafarers being taken care of. What about the commodities in the vessels which are stuck. Do we have a diplomatic initiation made, in case the situation continues like this and there is no-go and the vessels get stuck longer than necessary?

DPM Gan: We will watch the developments very carefully. But I think as our Foreign Minister, Minister Balakrishnan has mentioned, we cannot negotiate with Iran because the right of transit passage is a matter of right. And you can imagine if we negotiate and there is some agreement that we arrive at, there is some condition that Singapore must comply with in order to have that safe passage. If we do that, that means we agree that the right of safe passage, of transit passage, has now become conditional. And it is not conditional. The right is protected under UNCLOS and therefore we cannot possibly enter into a negotiation.

I hope I have made that clear because we are very concerned about the safety and also the cargo. We do want to try to get them out and to continue to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. But it is important for us to continue to uphold the principle that it is a matter of right, it is not negotiable. Once you negotiate and subject yourself to conditions, you lose that right and [it] is no longer a right. And therefore, it is important for us to stay on course. Sometimes you have to make a hard decision that this is a matter of principle, that we cannot negotiate something that is a matter of right. Thank you very much.

Moderator: Thank you. Number three please.

Q5: Good morning DPM. My name is Shahroz, I am the CEO of Compute Maritime, a UK-based maritime AI company. I think it was great to see the major chunk of your speech was circulating around AI and I must say, you do not see that every day in [the] maritime industry. So having said that, I think you made a very compelling case that AI must not only make [the] maritime industry efficient, but also resilient. But my question is on the capital – I am pretty sure you would agree that automotive and aerospace, they absorb [a] vast majority of the investment, and that leaves [the] maritime industry critically underfunded. So the question is, what signal is Singapore sending to private capital and to international AI builders to make maritime AI more investable at scale?

DPM Gan: Thank you very much. I think my answer to that is simply, “Watch this space”. I think Minister Jeffrey Siow will be making announcements shortly – I do not know how soon it is but shortly – on our efforts in investing in AI and encouraging investors to come and do AI in the maritime industry.

As I mentioned in my speech, connectivity is one of the key pillars of our AI strategy. I mentioned just now that there are four pillars, one of them is connectivity and maritime services is one important component of that connectivity because shipping and port operations is very critical. And if you have time, spend a little bit of time visiting some of the booths outside [at the exhibition]. They are already showing. OceanX for example, how they make use of AI to solve, to address some of the solutions, some of the problems. You can also see robotics using AI to address some of the port operations.

So I think there are a lot of opportunities in logistics, supply chain, port operations, shipping lines to adopt AI. But it also requires commitment and a bit of a daring spirit because, you know, you are in the AI business, some of the AI works, some do not work. So you have to be able to discern what is a possible and potential proposition that AI may apply in a certain area. We are quite serious about looking at real life solutions using AI and not just good to have, but it is something that we want to integrate in our business operations. So for the port for example, the idea is to integrate AI into entire port operations end-to-end so that it is more resilient, more efficient, and in fact, it will become a competitive advantage versus ports that do not have AI integrated into their systems.

I think in time to come, you will find that those with an AI-based core as a business will become a lot more competitive. They are able to respond faster, they are able to be more flexible, more adaptable versus their competitors that do not. If you take this disruption from the Strait of Hormuz as an example, you can see that many supply chain maritime operations have [had] to adjust themselves because things have changed – some of the ships are stuck, some of the cargo are stuck, some of the raw material, feed material is stuck inside. And therefore you need to immediately look for alternative supplies, alternative shipping routes and alternative ports to unload your cargo or to load your cargo. So all these changes have to be made very quickly and the operators that are able to respond fastest will get the business.

So I think it is important for us to bear that in mind. In time to come, especially in this fast-changing world and crisis happens from time to time, sometimes day to day, it is important for us to be nimble and AI will allow you to be flexible, resilient, as well as competitive. It is something that we will need to recognise and we hope that the investor community will also recognise that AI will be able to change the way we do business, even in the maritime industry.

Moderator: Thank you, thank you DPM. Number one please.

Q6: Yes, I am Captain Jacky Chan. I am ex-NOL and I have been in maritime head hunting or talent acquisition for 20 years. I am asking on behalf of the NS, especially my son [who has] just finished NS, I am asking on behalf of all the Singaporean and Singaporean PRs [for] example, like my son. When he was enlisted into NS, he was not given an option to choose to do Navy. Now we are talking about [how among] Singaporeans or PRs, we have a lack of maritime talent.

So my question to DPM Gan is why not those who are Singaporeans and Singaporean PRs whose families are in the maritime [industry] – and I have seen a lot like I think just now Captain Batura, I think his family is all also in [the] maritime [industry], and I also have a lot of contacts of friends whose whole family is actually in maritime – so my question is, is the Singapore government is able to think of, for work and study, especially those whose families [are] in the maritime, maybe to have a chance to [be sent to] the Navy? And at the same time, maybe working with Mr Teo from PIL or Miss Yong from Kuok, to actually integrate those NS people into the maritime industry. Thank you.

DPM Gan: Thank you very much, a very good suggestion. I will feed that back to MINDEF by the way. But I will have to say that in deploying NSmen, MINDEF will have its own criteria and will consider many factors, including interests of the person, the background of the person, and the expertise the person may have in deploying them in a most effective way. But there are many considerations, I hope you understand and I will feed that back to MINDEF anyway.

But not all is lost. After your son has finished his NS, when he comes out, we will be very happy to talk to him about joining the maritime industry. I am sure whether Miss Yong or Mr Teo, or even our Acting Minister [for Transport], will be very keen to talk to him to persuade him to join the maritime industry.

Indeed, we do want to attract many young and talented people to come into this industry, and we actually do quite a lot. I was being briefed just now on the many things that we are doing, including internships, scholarships, training grants and conversion programmes. We do want to encourage more Singaporeans to take up this job. It can be very exciting, it can be very refreshing and actually if you do well, it can actually change the way we carry out maritime businesses. You can change the business, so I would encourage Singaporeans to take this opportunity to come and take a look, come to this Maritime Week and have a taste of what maritime life is about. It may be something that you will enjoy, you will find it is part of your lifestyle that you will want, I think it is something that is worth exploring. So I encourage more Singaporeans to come and visit the Maritime Week. It is open to public, right? Yeah, all right. Good. Just confirmed it is open to public. Please come and visit the Maritime Week, thank you.

Moderator: Yeah, on behalf of shipowners, I think, and shipping companies, I think we cannot have enough Singaporeans in this business, so definitely encourage them to join. Question two, please.

Q7: Good morning, Deputy Prime Minister. My name is Andrew Noble, I work for a company called Anduril Australia. My question relates to the role and value of autonomy, on and off ships, in enabling humans to be safer and more productive beyond the military applications.

DPM Gan: On and off ships, can you explain what that is?

Q7: My question relates [to], obviously autonomous ships have a place in military applications, do you see a place for autonomous ships as well as autonomous systems supporting ships in Singaporean society and maritime writ large?

DPM Gan: Okay, thank you very much. Okay, now I understand the question. I think we are already exploring the possibility of autonomous vehicles in the water. Even harbour craft, for example, we are exploring and experimenting. I think there is room for autonomous ships and vehicles so that we can reduce the reliance on manpower. As we mentioned just now, there is a critical shortage of such manpower in Singapore, I am sure around the world too. So I think autonomous ships and autonomous vehicles in the water is something that we will be very keen [on] and we are actively looking at it.

We already have quite a lot of autonomous vehicles on land, at the port. If you visit our port, you will find that many of our systems are already autonomous. But I take your point, there is room for us to explore whether some of the craft that we use in the harbour particularly, can also become autonomous. I believe our agencies are doing research and development in that regard. Watch this space, we may be able to announce some of these experiments in time to come.

Moderator: Okay, thank you. Any more questions? Okay, number seven please.

Q8: Thank you DPM Gan. My name is Akanksha. I am a second-generation SME leader for maritime services. But my question is a little bit cheeky today. So you know, we have always realised that there is an image problem for shipping, even though we are actually quite dynamic, energetic and quite enjoyable as an industry. But may I please potentially propose for you to consider doing a Netflix series for us, potentially a reality show or a drama series? We have a lot of charismatic people in the audience who can star in this show. So please take this suggestion and I hope we can do something about this. It is a cheeky one I agree, but it is still a good suggestion, I hope.

DPM Gan: Thank you. I do not know about Netflix series, but I think it is worthwhile for us to work on some publicity and some education programmes so that people get a better understanding of what this industry is about. At the same time, we do not want to give the wrong impression that this is something that it is not. So we have to be quite truthful, because eventually the person has to work in this industry for his career. So it is important for us to be frank and truthful. I always thought that the best way to market this industry is really to allow our young people to have the opportunity to come and have a taste of what this is like, maybe give them a short stint onboard [a ship]. 

One way is to have internship programmes for some of our younger students to spend maybe two weeks, one month onboard or even at the port, so they understand what the maritime industry is all about. Actually, it can be quite fascinating because you get to see different parts of the whole supply chain, the whole logistics, the whole shipping industry and maritime industry. The best way for them to really understand what it is about, the opportunities that are here, is to expose them, to have opportunities to be able to get an internship or work onboard for short period of time, and then they can make their own decisions later on. I think this is the best way to have the accurate image of what the industry is about.

Moderator: Thank you DPM, I will take one more. One last question. Please, number one, I think it was up earlier, thank you.

Q9: Good morning, Deputy Prime Minister. I am Gary Chen from Xinde News. We know the current political conflict in the Middle East has triggered the adjustment of the global trade road. My question is, Singapore as an international shipping centre, how will Singapore help shipping companies reduce costs and [improve] efficiency impacted by the route divergence through optimising the port services and spreading the regional cooperation? Thank you.

DPM Gan: Thank you. I agree with you that the events in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East has created a disruption to the global supply chain, this has resulted in a sharp rise in energy costs and the costs of transport and shipping. And therefore, it is important for the shipping industry and the economy as a whole, to be able to adjust very quickly to this new reality. In time to come, when the crisis is over, prices may come down somewhat, but it is not likely to go back to the same level as before. And the reality is that this type of disruption will happen from time to time and will increasingly [be] more frequent. This is a reality that we have to accept, and therefore our system must be re-tuned to be able to respond very quickly to such disruptions from time to time.

And that is why I mentioned in my speech just now, one critical pathway we must focus on developing is to keep our system, our entire maritime ecosystem nimble, flexible, adaptable. This is the only way that we can respond to crisis that happens from time to time. And we must do so not just because we have this crisis ahead of us, in front of us, but we must do so continuously because the world is very competitive. Even without this disruption and crisis, the shipping industry, the maritime industry is a very competitive industry and also the margins are always under threat. It is important for us to continue to be cost-competitive, to be effective, to be efficient, to provide excellent service to our customers.

But among all these, there is one factor that not many people talk about. And that is trust. And even with higher costs, it does not mean that you get reliable services. So what is important to many of the operators, whether it is shipowners, shipping lines or port operators or even your customers’ businesses, what they value most in today's world is trust and reliability. If you look at how Singapore port has operated over the years, over the decades, even during the peak of crisis, we continue to ensure that our port operates efficiently and effectively so that we deliver whatever we promise.

So I think this is something that is very critical and we cannot undermine our confidence that our customers and stakeholders have in us. This is something we need to continue to build, need to continue to strengthen and deepen – the trust and confidence that our stakeholders have, our partners have in Singapore and our ecosystem.

Moderator: Thank you, DPM Gan. That is a very fitting end to Singapore Maritime Week. Thank you for sharing your perspectives so candidly and on behalf of everyone, really, thank you very much. Can we all please, ladies and gentlemen, give him a round of applause? Thank you.