尊敬的律政部兼交通部政務部長穆仁理先生，
尊敬的各位來賓，
女士們、先生們，
大家早上好！
我非常高興能夠參加今年的2025年新加坡海事周。今年的海事周正值環境日益動蕩之際。全球產業以及新加坡本國的海事部門都必須積極為未來做好準備。
以貿易為增長驅動力
在過去的六十年裏，隨著世界的全球化，新加坡這個小而開放的經濟體蓬勃發展。我們曾生活在一個總體和平與穩定的世界中。全球秩序由美國主導，並得到其在歐洲和亞洲盟友的支持。多邊機構得以建立——包括聯合國、國際貨幣基金組織、世界銀行以及世界貿易組織（WTO）。
國際法律和條約也在協商與采納之中，其中包括《聯合國海洋法公約》（UNCLOS）。無論大國還是小國普遍承認這些國際規則和準則，他們都認識到經濟自由化與更自由的貿易將使所有人受益。
許多國家根據這一理解采取行動並獲得成果，包括像新加坡這樣的小經濟體以及像美國和中國這樣的大國。跨國公司在發展中國家的投資拓寬了出口市場，並促進了經濟增長。國際貿易蓬勃發展，全球海事產業也隨之壯大。
總體而言，世界經濟也因此受益，因為更自由的貿易促進了更精細的全球分工、更整合的供應鏈以及全方位更高的效率。
新加坡抓住了這些機遇，並充分利用了它們。我們進行了投資並實施了政策，打造了一個開放、可靠且備受信賴的貿易與海事樞紐。我們成為了全球供應鏈中的關鍵環節，也成為東西方之間的重要門戶。
海上風浪將至
但如今的世界已大不相同。對貿易的態度已發生變化，貿易流向的模式也在轉變。
首先，地緣政治的發展正在嚴重衝擊全球貿易體係。
在過去十多年裏，大國之間的緊張關係不斷加劇。各國越來越擔心被對手超越，開始把安全、韌性和自給自足置於相互依存和合作之上。曾經為了經濟效率而優化的供應鏈，如今正通過“友岸外包”（friendshoring）、“近岸外包”以及“回岸”重新配置。
為保持領先優勢或阻止競爭對手獲得雙用途產品和技術，各國對投資、半導體、關鍵礦產和數據等領域實施了限製。一些大國采取了更具交易性，有時甚至帶有強製性的方式來實現即時目標，而對那些更間接和長期的利益則不再給予足夠重視。
這些結構性轉變在近幾個月裏進一步加速。美國新政府認為，在過去的體製下，“美國無論麵對友邦還是對手，在貿易上都受到了不公平的對待”——這句話正好道出了他們的觀點，遠非以往國際貿易、投資或多邊協議所提倡的雙贏模式。美國不僅將關稅視為首選的經濟工具，還將其作為在非經濟領域進行討價還價的籌碼，以維護其整體國家利益。其他國家也紛紛作出了相應的回應。
這些戰略性政策轉變正在重新塑造全球貿易的格局。保護主義和經濟分裂現象日益抬頭。海事行業本身也受到直接影響，各國紛紛采取措施減少對競爭對手在貨運和造船領域的依賴，或試圖取代控製戰略性港口的競爭者。
與此同時，第二個強大力量正在悄然影響全球貿易模式，那就是氣候變化。氣候變化和極端天氣事件已經在影響著既定的貿易航線。幹旱使巴拿馬運河供應的水庫水位下降，從而增加了航運成本，並給尋求通行的船隻帶來不確定性。由於北極冰層融化，新航道——例如東北航道——正在開啟。作為重要的排放源，海事行業正麵臨著減少碳排放的壓力。
國際航運業大約占所有溫室氣體排放的3%——與全球航空業大致相當。因此，業界正積極尋求脫碳之道——通過使用更環保的燃料和開發更高效的船舶。除了綠色技術之外，貿易模式也可能會發生變化，以考慮航運碳排放對環境的影響。無論這種轉變是通過燃料碳稅還是碳邊境調節稅實現，其結果都將是重新調整現有的供應鏈和貿易航線。
對新加坡意味著什麽
這些全球性的變化將對新加坡產生重大影響。對我們來說，貿易事關生存，而海事行業則是推動我們經濟的重要力量。盡管貿易麵臨嚴峻挑戰，但全球化不太可能完全逆轉。
盡管當前存在種種挑戰，世界依然需要貿易，各國也仍需相互往來，這一點在新冠疫情期間得到了印證。對一些國家來說，這關乎生存。全球大約四分之一的糧食產量通過國際貿易流通；全球超過80%的人口生活在作為糧食淨進口國的國家中，其中就包括新加坡。
沒有貿易，這些國家將麵臨饑荒。對許多其他國家而言，貿易仍然是繁榮的重要驅動力。貿易推動了國際分工，創造了效率和規模經濟。沒有任何一個國家能夠單獨生產出現代汽車、飛機或手機——這些產品通常都依賴來自海外、甚至是多個國家的原材料和零部件。
直到2008年的全球金融危機（GFC）之前，國際貿易的增長速度一直快於全球GDP的增長。上世紀50年代，國際貿易額約占全球GDP的15%。到了全球金融危機時期，這一比例已增加至55%以上。這正是各國維持經濟增長、提高生產力並不斷改善民眾生活的重要方式。
全球金融危機成為了一個轉折點。危機之後，全球化步伐放緩，世界貿易的增長不再超過全球GDP的增長。盡管麵臨逆風，國際貿易整體上仍保持在全球GDP的55%左右。因此，在全球金融危機後的一年半十年間，世界貿易持續增長，去年更創下了33萬億美元的曆史新高。
但這一時刻可能證明是另一個轉折點。鑒於戰略緊張局勢加劇和政策不確定性，我們不能假設全球貿易將繼續與GDP保持同步增長。如果貿易與GDP的比率開始下降，將產生嚴重的經濟和戰略影響。
至少，這將抑製許多國家的經濟增長，進而引發國內外更多的社會和政治問題。在這種情況下，世界將真正進入一個自第二次世界大戰以來未曾見過的新紀元。當然，我們的希望是，無論未來存在多少不確定性和動蕩，世界貿易都能繼續增長。不僅是為了維持海事產業，更是為了讓全球人民享有更高效、更富裕的生活。
因此，新加坡的任務是：一、盡我們所能推動和促進國際貿易的增長；二、讓我們的經濟和海事產業變得更加高效、更具競爭力、更值得信賴。這樣，無論世界如何變化，其他國家仍會願意在此開展貿易和商業活動，而我們也能繼續謀生。
如何實現這一目標？
保障我們海事產業的未來 維護開放經濟；加強貿易聯結
首先，我們承諾保持開放。由於我們國土狹小，沒有其他選擇。但我們並不孤單。即便在全球化退潮的今天，許多國家依然認為貿易可以實現雙贏，並希望盡可能保留多邊貿易帶來的好處。
毫無疑問，這是歐盟成員國和英國的共同看法。在我們的區域內，澳大利亞、韓國、日本、中國、印度以及東盟等國家也都抱有同樣期望。許多非洲和拉丁美洲國家也從中受益，並支持世界貿易組織的出色工作。因此，誌同道合的夥伴們完全可以攜手共進，在混亂的世界中維持一方穩定綠洲。
新加坡將繼續支持基於多邊規則的秩序、國際合作和相互依賴。我們在獨立後不久便加入了國際海事組織（IMO），最初作為成員國，1993年起又成為其理事會成員。在上世紀70年代和80年代，我們積極參與了促成《聯合國海洋法公約》的談判。
湯米·柯大使曾自1981年起擔任第三屆聯合國海洋法會議主席，直至會議成功閉幕。最近，我們主辦了國際海事輔助導航組織（IALA）的首屆大會，該大會通過了“新加坡宣言”，以推動全球海上航行安全的發展。
除了多邊框架外，我們還積極推動眾多區域及雙邊貿易夥伴關係。我們已建立起包括27個自由貿易協定在內的廣泛網絡，這些協定合計覆蓋了90%的貿易。這不僅強化了我們的貿易樞紐地位，也促進了經濟增長。我們將繼續擴大這一網絡。
近年來，我們加入了《區域全麵經濟夥伴關係協定》（RCEP）、《全麵與進步跨太平洋夥伴關係協定》（CPTPP）以及《印太經濟框架》（IPEF）。其中，RCEP主要涵蓋太平洋西部的國家，包括中國、日本、韓國和東盟國家；CPTPP橫跨東太平洋——雖然美國選擇不參與，但加拿大、墨西哥、智利、秘魯等國都在其中；而IPEF則由美國拜登政府推出，我們希望它能在未來繼續存在。
最近幾年，我們分別於2022年與太平洋聯盟、2023年與南方共同市場簽署了自由貿易協定。在可持續發展和技術領域，我們正與關鍵夥伴協商綠色經濟協議和數字經濟協議，並與多個國家及港口合作推進綠色與數字航運走廊。目前，我們已有六項此類協議，旨在加快港口通關、促進新燃料的供應與部署，並製定統一標準。
新加坡企業也在跨越國界，加強貿易和供應鏈聯結。例如，新加坡港務集團（PSA International）運營著全球多個港口，不斷創新服務，實現貨物流經多個港口的無縫對接，並為供應鏈增值。
這正是新加坡沒有遠離貿易和夥伴關係，而是更加致力於保持開放的重要原因。
鞏固我們作為區域樞紐和全球節點的地位
其次，我們將繼續加強自身作為區域樞紐和全球節點的地位。現代新加坡之所以能夠成長和繁榮，是因為我們曾作為東方的集散地和大型商貿中心。到了1960年代，區域貿易逐漸衰退，新加坡開始推行工業化以替代這些職位並促進經濟增長。
但即便如此，我們依然看好海事產業的潛力。一個高效、現代化的港口可以幫助我們日益增長的出口貨物走向世界市場；而我們也可以成為不僅服務於東南亞鄰國，更麵向更廣泛的亞太地區，甚至延伸至南亞的中轉港。
因此，我們建立了一個完整的生態係統來支持海事產業——包括港口、船運公司、造船廠、加油服務以及法律服務。
我們穩步投資於港口基礎設施建設。1969年，在集裝箱化剛剛起步的早期，我們決定在丹戎巴葛建造東南亞首個集裝箱碼頭。隨著亞太地區的繁榮和貿易量的增長，我們提前大手筆投資新港口碼頭。
如今，新加坡已成為世界上最繁忙的港口之一，任何時候都有超過1,000艘船隻在港。海事部門對我們GDP的貢獻超過6%，並創造了約14萬個就業機會。
展望未來，我們將繼續發展海事產業，投資於能力建設和基礎設施。我們正在建設大士港——這是一個雄心勃勃的、曆時數十年的項目，旨在將我們所有的集裝箱碼頭整合到一個地點。預計在2040年代完工時，大士港年處理能力將達到6,500萬個標準箱。
我們還在投資於科技與創新，正在開發一個由人工智能支持的新一代船舶交通管理係統，以提高港口運營的安全性和效率。正如您從律政部政務部長穆仁理先生處了解到的，我們正在推出新加坡港口及海事生態係統的數字孿生平台。正如穆仁理部長所解釋的，這將幫助我們進一步改善港口運營和服務。
我們通過政府、業界和工會之間的三方緊密合作來實現這一切，我們決心讓我們的工人從新技術和投資中受益。實際上，我們的港務工會、港口官員工會和海事官員工會的代表都出席了本次會議，參與討論。
我們的工人必須準備好承擔新的、更具生產力的角色，而不是被技術或人工智能邊緣化或取代。因此，我們也在大力投資於人才培養，提升他們操作新的人工智能和數字係統以及遙控岸橋、無人機、水下機器人等先進技術的技能。在高層管理方麵，我們通過領導力計劃不斷培養海事專業人才。有了這種支持，我們的人民將會擁抱並充分利用科技，而非抗拒它，從而保障新加坡的競爭力和他們自己的生計。
應對氣候變化及適應其影響作出貢獻
第三，新加坡將盡自己的一份力來緩解氣候變化，同時適應其對我們的影響。自2013年以來，我們一直是北極理事會的觀察員國。我們支持理事會在科學研究、可持續發展和綠色航運方麵的工作。
新加坡已承諾在2030年前達到排放峰值，並在2050年前實現淨零排放。對於一個幾乎沒有自己可用能源（無論是可再生能源還是化石能源）的島國來說，這是一項極其艱巨的任務，但作為國際社會負責任的一員，我們必將貢獻力量。
在海事產業方麵，我們正在投資於綠色技術，助力產業實現脫碳轉型。今天，我們是加油及石油煉製的中心；未來，隨著替代燃料的研發和應用，我們的海運線路和基礎設施很可能成為其運輸和分配的重要通道。
正如穆仁理部長所解釋的，我們正在進行替代燃料加油的試驗，這將為製定國家和國際標準提供支持。我們也在逐步培訓工人，以便他們能處理替代燃料，為其廣泛采用做好準備。
這就是我們在應對氣候變化的同時，為全球海事貿易不可避免的長期趨勢做出的準備。
結束語
世界無法逃避未來動蕩的時代，但海事產業的前景依然光明。如果我們提前規劃、采取正確措施，我們就有充分的機會繼續繁榮。正如李光耀先生在60多年前於新加坡港務局所言，“人生中美好的事物不會從天而降，唯有經過長期的艱苦努力方能實現。”我們可以共同將逆境轉化為機遇。
在此，我歡迎各位與我們攜手合作，共同把握這些機遇，為建設一個更好、更光明的海事未來而投資奮鬥。
非常感謝大家。
Mr Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
A very good morning to everybody
I am delighted to join you for this year’s Singapore Maritime Week 2025. This year, the Maritime Week takes place amidst an increasingly turbulent environment. The global industry, and Singapore’s own maritime sector, will need to actively prepare for what lies ahead.
Trade as a driver of growth
As the world globalised over the last six decades, Singapore’s small, open economy flourished. We lived in a generally peaceful and stable world. The global order was underwritten by the United States, supported by its allies in Europe and Asia. Multilateral institutions were established — the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). International laws and treaties were negotiated and adopted, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Countries big and small generally acknowledged these international rules and norms. They understood that economic liberalisation and freer trade would benefit everyone. Many countries acted on this understanding and reaped the benefits, including small economies like Singapore and huge ones like the United States and China. Investments by MNCs in developing countries opened up export markets, and fostered economic growth. International trade boomed, and the global maritime industry grew with it. Collectively the world economy benefited too, as freer trade promoted finer global division of labour, more integrated supply chains, and greater efficiencies all-round.
Singapore rode these waves, and made the most of them. We made investments and implemented policies to build an open, reliable, and trusted trade and maritime hub. We became a key link in global supply chains, a gateway between East and West
Choppy waters ahead
But it is a different world today. Attitudes towards trade have changed. Patterns of trade flows are shifting too.
First, geopolitical developments are severely straining the global trade system.
Over the past decade plus, tensions between the major powers have intensified. Countries have become increasingly anxious to stay ahead of one another. They are prioritising security, resilience and self-reliance, over interdependence and co-operation. Supply chains — once optimised for economic efficiency — are being reconfigured through friend-shoring, near-shoring, and re-shoring. Restrictions have been imposed – on investments, semiconductors, critical minerals, data – to preserve leads over competitors, or to deny rivals dual-use products and technology. Some big powers are adopting a more transactional, sometimes coercive, approach to achieve immediate objectives; and giving less weight to more indirect and longer-term benefits.
These structural shifts have accelerated in recent months. A new administration in the US believes that under the previous system, "the US has been treated unfairly by its trading partners, both friend and foe", to quote their words — far from the erstwhile win-win view of international trade, investments, or multilateral agreements. It treats tariffs not only as a preferred economic instrument, but also as bargaining leverage in non-economic domains, to protect its overall national interests. Other countries have responded in kind.
These strategic policy shifts are re-shaping the landscape of world trade. Protectionism and economic bifurcation are rising. The maritime industry is itself directly affected, with countries acting to reduce reliance on competitors for freight shipping and ship-building, or to displace rivals controlling strategically located ports.
Meanwhile, a second powerful force is quietly impacting global trade patterns, and that is climate change. Climate change and extreme weather events are already affecting established trade routes. Droughts have lowered water levels in the reservoirs supplying the Panama Canal, raising costs and creating uncertainty for vessels seeking passage. New routes — such as the Northeast Passage — are opening up due to the melting Arctic ice. As a significant emitter, the maritime industry is under pressure to reduce carbon emissions. International shipping accounts for about 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions — roughly as much as global aviation. The industry is therefore actively seeking ways to decarbonise — by using greener fuels, and developing more efficient ships. Beyond green technologies, patterns of trade are likely to shift, to account for the environmental impact of carbon emissions from shipping. Whether this happens through carbon taxes on fuel or carbon border adjustment taxes, the result will be to reorient existing supply chains and trade routes.
What these mean for Singapore
These global shifts will have a major impact on Singapore. Because to us, trade is existential, and the maritime industry is a major contributor to our economy. But while trade faces significant headwinds, globalisation is unlikely to completely reverse itself.
Despite all the current challenges, the world still needs to trade, and countries still need to do business with one another, as we were reminded during Covid-19. For some, this is a matter of survival. About a quarter of global food production is traded internationally. More than 80% of the world’s population live in countries that are net importers of food, including Singapore. Without trade, these countries would simply starve. For many others, trade remains a crucial driver of prosperity. Trade enables the international division of labour and creates efficiencies and economies of scale. No country can produce on its own; a modern car, aeroplane, or handphone, without relying on materials and components from abroad, usually from many countries.
For decades until the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008, international trade grew faster than world GDP. In the 1950s, international trade was around 15% of world GDP. By the time of the Global Financial Crisis, this had more than tripled — to 55%. This was how countries around the world sustained economic growth and productivity gains, and steadily improved their peoples’ lives.
The GFC was a turning point. After the GFC, globalisation slowed. World trade stopped growing faster than world GDP. But despite the headwinds, international trade still generally kept pace, staying at 55% of world GDP. And thus in the decade and a half since the GFC, world trade continued to rise, reaching a record US$33 trillion last year.
But this present moment could prove to be another turning point. Given the heightened strategic tensions and policy uncertainty, we cannot assume that global trade will continue to keep pace with GDP. If the trade-to-GDP ratio starts to fall, there will be serious economic and strategic implications. At the least, it will dampen economic growth in many countries. Which will cause further social and political problems, both domestically and internationally. In that event, the world would truly enter a new epoch, which it has not seen since the Second World War. Naturally, our hope is that whatever the uncertainties and turbulence ahead, world trade will continue to grow. Not just to sustain the maritime industry, but to enable more productive and prosperous lives for the peoples of the world
And thus Singapore’s task is to: i) do our part to enable and foster the growth of international trade; ii) to make our economy, and our maritime industry, more efficient, more competitive, more trusted. So that whatever the state of the world, others will still want to trade here; to do business here. And we can continue to make a living for ourselves.
How?
Securing our maritime industry’s future
Maintaining an open economy; strengthening trade linkages
First, we are committed to staying open. Being so small, we have no choice. But we are not alone. Even with globalisation in retreat, many countries still believe that trade can be a win-win proposition, and still want to preserve as much of the benefits of the multilateral trade as possible. Certainly, this is the view of European Union members and the UK. In our region, Australia, South Korea, Japan, China, India and the ASEAN group, among others, all want this too. And many African and Latin American countries benefit from and support the good work of the World Trade Organization. Therefore, like-minded partners can definitely work together, to preserve oases of stability amid a world of chaos.
Singapore will continue to support a multilateral rules-based order, international co-operation and interdependence. We joined the International Maritime Organization (IMO) almost as soon as we became independent. First as a member state, and then since 1993 as a council member. In the 70s and 80s, we were active in the negotiations that resulted in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ambassador Tommy Koh served as President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1981 until its successful conclusion. Recently, we hosted the inaugural General Assembly of the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation, or IALA, which adopted the "Singapore Declaration" to advance global maritime navigational safety.
Beyond multilateral frameworks, we pursue many regional and bilateral trade partnerships and arrangements. We have built an extensive network of 27 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which collectively cover 90% of our trade. These have strengthened our trading hub, and contributed to our economic growth. We continue to expand this network. In recent years we joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The RCEP is mainly on the west of the Pacific, including China, Japan, South Korea, the ASEAN countries. The CPTPP spans the Eastern Pacific — the Americans decided not to participate but Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru are there. The IPEF, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, was launched by the Biden administration in the US, and we hope that in some way, it will continue to exist. Most recently, we signed FTAs with the Pacific Alliance (2022), and MERCOSUR (2023)1 in the last few years. In the fields of sustainability and technology, we are negotiating Green Economy Agreements and Digital Economy Agreements with key partners. We are also working on Green and Digital Shipping Corridors with many countries and ports. We have six of these agreements - to expedite port clearances, promote the supply and deployment of new fuels, and define common standards.
Singaporean companies too, are working across borders to strengthen trade and supply chain linkages. For example, PSA International operates a network of ports around the world. It is innovating its services, to enable cargo to flow seamlessly across these multiple PSA ports, and to add more value to the supply chain.
This is how, instead of turning away from trade and partnerships, Singapore is doubling down on staying open.
Securing our status as a regional hub and global node
Secondly, we will continue to strengthen ourselves as a regional hub and global node. Modern Singapore had grown and prospered by being an entrepot, an emporium of the orient. By the 1960s, this regional trade was in decline. Singapore embarked on an industrialisation drive to replace those jobs and grow our economy. But even then, we continued to see potential in the maritime industry. An efficient, modern port would help our growing exports reach world markets. And we could also become a transshipment port not just for our immediate neighbours in Southeast Asia, but for a much wider Asia Pacific region, even extending to South Asia. Therefore, we built up a whole ecosystem to support the maritime industry — the port, the shipping lines, the shipyards, the bunkering services, the legal services.
We steadily invested in port infrastructure. In 1969, in the very early days of containerisation, we decided to build a container terminal at Tanjong Pagar — Southeast Asia’s first. As the Asia Pacific prospered, and trade volumes grew, we made major investments ahead of time in new port terminals. And today, Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world, with more than 1,000 vessels in port at any one time. The maritime sector contributes to over 6% of our GDP and about 140,000 jobs.
Looking ahead, we will continue to build up the maritime industry, and to invest in capabilities and infrastructure. We are now building Tuas Port — an ambitious, multi-decade project that will consolidate all our container terminals into a single location. When completed in the 2040s, Tuas Port will have a handling capacity of 65 million TEUs annually. We are investing in technology and innovation. We are developing an AI-enabled Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System, to improve the safety and efficiency of port operations. And as you heard from MOS Pillai, we are launching the Digital Twin for the Singapore port and maritime ecosystem. And as MOS Pillai has explained, it will help us further improve port operations and services.
We are doing all this through a strong tripartite partnership between the Government, industry, and unions. And we are determined that our workers will benefit from the new technology and investments. And indeed, our Port Workers’ Union, Port Officers’ Union and Maritime Officers’ Union are represented and attending this conference, participating in the deliberations. Our workers must be prepared to take on new and more productive roles, and not be sidelined or displaced by technology or AI. Therefore, we are also investing heavily in our people. We are upskilling them to operate new AI and digital systems, and advanced technologies such as remote quay cranes, drones, underwater robots. At the upper echelons, we continue to develop maritime professionals through leadership programmes. With this support, our people will embrace and make full use of technology, instead of resisting it and jeopardising both Singapore’s competitiveness and their own livelihoods.
Contributing to the fight against climate change, and adapting to it
Thirdly, Singapore will play our part in mitigating climate change, even as we adapt to its impact upon us. Since 2013, we have been an observer state in the Arctic Council. We support the Council’s work on scientific research, on sustainable development, and green shipping. Singapore has committed to peaking emissions before 2030, and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This is an extremely difficult task, for an island nation with hardly any energy sources of our own — whether renewable or fossil. But we will do our share as a responsible member of the international community.
And in the maritime industry, we are investing in green technologies, to play a role in the industry’s decarbonisation transition. Today we are a centre for bunkering and petroleum refining. In future, as alternative fuels are developed and come into use, our sea lines and infrastructure will most probably become key conduits for their transportation and distribution. As MOS Pillai explained, we are conducting trials on the bunkering of alternative fuels, which will support the setting of national and international standards. We are also progressively training our workers to handle alternative fuels, to prepare for their widespread adoption.
This is how we are responding to climate change, while preparing for the inevitable long-term trends that are in store for the global maritime trade.
Conclusion
The world cannot escape the turbulent times ahead. But the future for the maritime industry is still bright. If we plan ahead and take the right steps now, we have every chance of continuing to thrive. As Mr Lee Kuan Yew said at the Singapore Harbour Board in 1963, more than 60 years ago, "The good things in life do not fall down from the skies. They can only come by hard work over a long time". Collectively, we can turn adversity into opportunity.
And I welcome all of you here to work with us to seize these opportunities, as we invest for a better, brighter maritime future.
Thank you very much.
[1] Singapore signed the Pacific Alliance-Singapore FTA (PASFTA) with Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru in Jan 22, our first FTA with a Maritime Chapter. Singapore signed the Mercosur-Singapore FTA (MCSFTA) on 8 Dec 23, our first FTA with MERCOSUR member states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay).
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