Situated at the crossroads of the main shipping routes, Singapore serves as a major shipping hub in Asia. Its port connects over 200 shipping lines calling here regularly to more than 600 ports around the world. In 2003, more than 135,386 vessels totaling 986.4 million GT called at the Port of Singapore, making it the world’s busiest in terms of shipping tonnage. In the same year, Singapore’s container terminal operator, PSA Corporation handled 18.41 million TEUs.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is the sole regulatory body overseeing the maritime and port industry. Its mission is to promote Singapore as a premier port and international maritime centre and to safeguard Singapore’s strategic maritime interests. The MPA works closely with the IE Singapore, lead agency spearheading the development and promotion of Singapore’s transport and logistics sector, to promote the Republic as a world-class port and an international maritime centre. Together, MPA and TDB work hand-in-hand with local shipping and freight-forwarding associations, seafarers’ unions and other training bodies to chart new directions in maritime, port and logistics training in Singapore.
A host of government-linked and private training bodies train skilled personnel to meet the diverse manpower needs of the maritime and port industry. This brochure provides an overview of the training courses available in Singapore, a listing of the major conferences and exhibitions held regularly in Singapore and a directory of the major training bodies.
MARITIME TRAINING
Short courses conducted by SMA include Basic Safety Training, Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats,
GMDSS, Tanker Familiarisation (Oil, Chemical and Liquefied Gas), Advanced Tanker Safety (Oil, Chemical and Liquefied
Gas), Advanced Fire Fighting, Shipboard Training and Assessment.
Maritime training in Singapore comprises training of ship-based, shore-based and shipbuilding and
offshore engineering personnel.
Ship-based personnel training
To meet shipowners' requirements for trained personnel to man merchant ships, Singapore offers a wide range of courses.
The Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) conducts various diploma and advanced diploma courses to enable trainees who
have acquired the necessary sea service on merchant ships to sit for the relevant deck officer and marine engineer officer
certificate of competency examinations conducted by the Director of Marine, Singapore. These courses comply with the
requirements of the Revised International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping For
Seafarers (STCW) 1995. The Singapore Maritime Academy received the ISO 9002 certification in 1994 for their maritime
training programmes.
Shore-based personnel training
There is a wide variety of training courses for shore-based personnel of shipping companies in Singapore. Courses available
include diploma programmes in maritime, shipping and port management and other courses in ship chartering, marine
insurance and shipbroking.
These shipping and vocational training courses are conducted by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore,
Singapore Maritime Academy, PSA Institute, Singapore Shipping Association, Singapore Trade Development Board,
Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, Chartered Institute of Transport, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Det Norske Veritas,
Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and East Asia Response Pte Ltd.
Shipbuilding and offshore engineering personnel training
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To meet the manpower demands of the ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore engineering sectors of the economy, the
Ngee Ann Polytechnic conducts various diploma and advanced diploma courses as well as a variety of short courses.
PORT TRAINING
PSA Institute, the training arm of PSA Corporation, conducts courses relating to management and operations of container and
conventional cargo terminals.
Courses available include port management, pilotage, shiphandling simulation and quay/yard crane operations training.
Training programmes can also be tailored to meet the demands of clients.
Besides the PSA Institute, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) offers port-related training courses. It
conducts courses and attachment programmes for foreign officials in areas it has expertise such as hydrographic surveying,
digital nautical chart production, and oil pollution response and control.
To prepare personnel working onboard vessels plying within port limits, the MPA has an array of training courses. These
navigation and engineering courses include the Port Limit Engine Driver, Port Limit Steersman/Helmsman, Port Limit
Harbour Craft Master and Port Limit Tanker Master courses.
LOGISTICS TRAINING
Courses in logistics and freight forwarding vocational training are available at various levels.
These programmes are principally provided by the Singapore Logistics Association.
The Chartered Institute of Transport and the Logistics Training and
Consultancy Pte Ltd conduct executive programmes in logistics at the diploma level.
Logistics training at the tertiary level is provided by the Singapore Maritime Academy,
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Technological University and the newly set up
The Logistics Institute - Asia, which specialises in postgraduate logistics training and research. The
Institute is managed by the National University of Singapore in collaboration with the Georgia Institute
of Technology in Atlanta, USA.
MAJOR CONVENTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
Singapore is Asia’s top convention city for association meetings for the fifteenth consecutive year.
Singapore also maintained her sixth world ranking. Singapore is also a leading exhibition centre in Asia.
Besides its ideal location, Singapore provides excellent meeting facilities with first-class service and a wide
variety of food, sight-seeing and entertainment, set in a safe, clean and green island city. There is a variety
of world-class hotel accommodation, large-capacity meeting and banquet facilities, and a wide range of
technical equipment and services.
The major maritime, logistics and port-related conventions and seminars held regularly in Singapore are as follows:
Global Port and Cargo Hub |
International Cruise Centre
Chandling and Bunkering
|
Shipbuilding and Repair
|
International Maritime & Port Training Centre
