By Frances Baskerville, Senior VP CIRM
Back to normality with their first in person event since COVID struck, the Singapore Maritime Foundation and Informa Market’s Sea Asia was fresh off the starting blocks this week with over 300 exhibitors and thousands of visitors over three days. Held in conjunction with Singapore Maritime week, driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, people arrived from all corners of the world for multiple events and to explore business opportunities
Maritime Week opened around their theme of ‘Ambition Meets Action’ – asking the maritime community to take collective and accelerated action to digitise and decarbonise. The keynote speech from Secretary-General Kitak Lim highlighted IMO’s activity to reduce GHG emissions and the need to decarbonise shipping urgently and effectively. Other speakers highlighted the necessity to align international standards, disruption and the need for new talent.
Back at the show, there was a three day presentation programme in the theatre where speakers primarily talked on transportation, business development, managing ship operations, training, fuel usage optimisation, connectivity and so on. Out on the floor, twelve National Pavilions housed those companies preferring to join force and cut exhibition costs. These areas were overflowing which might explain the singled floored show space as opposed to previous years when the event took up two whole floors of the centre.
As is usually the case, the Class Societies had large stands with great hospitality as did some of the CIRM membership, particularly those of ours who are headquartered in Asia. It was great to meet up with old friends again, many of whom were optimistic about the future and glad to report business was good. It was interesting to note that the show only really came alive in the afternoons (mornings were remarkably thin on traffic) but once in full swing there was a vibrant atmosphere right through to closing time.
As we know, Singapore functions in all respects supremely efficiently. The MRT is super clean and a pleasure to experience. Food is abundant and people helpful. Their pro-business attitude is very evident and it is a pleasure to be here – most likely my last time, since this is my final piece of travel for CIRM.
