Some 300 industry leaders across the diverse spectrum of Singapore’s maritime ecosystem gathered at the Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations 2023. The event was held at Shangri-La Singapore last Friday.
Chee Hong Tat (pictured), Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, graced the event as the Guest-of-Honour and delivered a speech outlining the developments and 2022 performance of Maritime Singapore, which he characterised as having good momentum for future growth.
Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, moderated a panel discussion on ‘Shipping in Times of Change’. The panel deliberated on key issues shaping the outlook of the global maritime sector as businesses navigate an increasingly complex landscape of geopolitical tensions, changing energy and trade flows, environmental pressures and an evolving workforce. Other members of the panel were: Alex Hartnoll, Head of Business Transformation, X-Press Feeders; Edward Koo, Chief Operating Officer, TCC Group; Frederik Guttormsen, Managing Director of Shipping, IMC Industrial Group; and Lars Christian Kastrup, Chief Executive Officer, PIL.
“The maritime industry has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic resilient and relevant. Even so, the near-term macro-outlook heading into 2023 remains uncertain due to a confluence of global factors,” said Mr. Hor Weng Yew, Chairman, Singapore Maritime Foundation.
“The SMF New Year Conversations as Maritime Singapore’s first industry event of the year provides leaders of the sector an opportunity to connect, exchange views on issues of strategic interest, and sets the cadence for the year ahead,” he added.
