Organisation:
Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
Resource Link:
Published in 2021, Link
My Key Takeaways
For those who are unfamiliar with Singapore’s maritime sector, here’s an overview of recent news:
1. Singapore was ranked Top Leading Maritime City of the World for the 5th consecutive time in 2021 (DNV, Menon Economics AS)
2. Won Best Global Sea Port in 2021, and best Asian seaport for the 33rd time (2021 Asia Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain Awards)
3. Retained its position as the top international shipping centre for the 8th consecutive year [Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index] .
4. Singapore is the world’s busiest container transhipment port, record 37.5 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) in 2021
5. Top bunkering port with total sales volume and liquefied natural gas of 50 million tonnes last year
6. Top 5 ship registries in the world in 2021
7. 9 new maritime company setups and 14 business expansions in SG in 2021, adding to the country’s international communityb of 5,000 maritime firms.
This was really something because in case it slipped your mind, 2021 was pretty much a pandemic-stricken year with global disruptions to manpower and supply chain.
OK, you get it. Your maritime company is missing out on co-innovation opportunities.
But how exactly do you plug yourself into this global maritime ecosystem?
Well, here’s a handy cheatsheet from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), highlighting key partners, initiatives & incentives to help your maritime company grow globally, from Singapore:
Access to Customers
– Annual call for proposals and “Maritime Innovation Process” to match maritime firms with solver communities
– Singapore Maritime Week
– Circle of Digital InnOvators (CDO), Circle of Human Resource InnOvators (CHROs) networks
– List of maritime startup accelerator programmes (PIER71™, Ocean Network Express, PSA unboXed, Rainmaking, Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. Ltd.)
Access to Capital
– Maritime Innovation & Technology (MINT) Fund, S$100K startup grant
– Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) – productivity grant for customer adopters
– Sea Transport Industry Digital Plan – supports adoption of pre-approved digital maritime solutions
– List of maritime-focused VCs like Quest Ventures, HICO, IMC Ventures, TecPier, Enterprise Singapore’s SEEDS Capital.
Access to Talent
– MPA’s MCF-Manpower grant support for manpower training
– IMDA, SkillsFuture SG, Workforce Singapore TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA)
– Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)’s Tech.Pass & 2021 guide to hiring in Singapore
Access to Tech & Testbeds
– MPA’s Maritime Living Lab for digital applications, drone & UAVs, port services & intelligent ships
– List of Maritime R&D/Centres of Excellence for sustainability, safety, autonomous vessels and port simulation.
Singapore’s maritime ICT market would also grow 7.9% annually from a tenth ($2.4B) of the country’s maritime economy, to a fifth ($4.8B) by 2030.
Don’t miss the boat！⛴️ 🇸🇬
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About Zhilin SIM
Having worked and lived in Singapore, the Nordics, China, Spain, UK, I’m now based in Paris.
I’m fluent in English, French and Mandarin, and I’m learning Arabic because it’s a beautiful and fascinating language.
My team creates and supports one-many initiatives connecting corporate and startup ecosystems in Europe to business and innovation opportunities in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
I’m passionate about horticulture, watercolour, startups/tech as well as French cuisine, Peranakan kueh techniques and other global cuisines.
Feel free to connect with me if you think my network in Europe and Asia could be of benefit to your business and innovation activities.
