SMW 2023 brings together maritime community to take collective action to digitalise, decarbonise

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Monday (24 April) said the 17th Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2023 returned, as one of the largest editions ever, with close to 50 events taking place from 24 to 28 April 2023.  

Organised by MPA in collaboration with industry stakeholders and the research community, the week-long event will gather some 20,000 maritime professionals, including delegates from governments, port authorities and international organisations, as well as industry experts, thought leaders, students from various disciplines and members of the public. 

Themed ‘Ambition Meets Action’, SMW 2023 brings together the global maritime community to take collective and accelerated action to digitalise and decarbonise. 

SMW 2023 was officially launched by Mr S. Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Mr Iswaran emphasised three areas of ambition for continued growth and success in the maritime industry: ensuring steady progress for maritime decarbonisation, aligning international standards in the move towards greater digitalisation, and redoubling efforts to attract and nurture talent. 

“The journey ahead for the maritime sector is not without its uncertainties and challenges, but it also holds the promise of new and interesting opportunities. Our collective mission must be to work together, navigate our path through choppy waters, and stay the course,” S. Iswaran said. 

IMO Secretary-General Mr Kitack Lim delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony of SMW 2023. Mr Lim highlighted that IMO Member States are currently actively engaged in upgrading IMO’s Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from international shipping by July this year. He added that collaboration, information-sharing, and capacity-building were key to ensuring that no one is left behind in the push for decarbonisation. Mr Lim also stressed that IMO Member States must be ambitious and bold enough to elevate the vision and levels of ambition to accelerate the decarbonisation of shipping.

During the opening segment, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport, and Ministers from Denmark, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom, also participated in a SMW Maritime Dialogue. Moderated by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, the Maritime Dialogue discussed pertinent maritime issues such as talent, digitalisation, decarbonisation in a time of disruption, as well as partnerships between government and industry.

Note: The full press release by MPA on the SMW 2023 can be found here while more details of the event can be found here. 

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 April, 2023