The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Waterborne Transport Research Institute (WTI), an agency under China’s Ministry of Transport during the 2019 Maritime Silk Road Port International Cooperation Forum (MPF).
The MOU seeks to enhance cooperation in information exchange and research and development (R&D) between the two agencies, in areas such as smart port technology, maritime safety, and environmental protection. It was signed by Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of the MPA, and Mr Fei Weijun, President of the WTI, at the side of the MPF. The MPF is hosted by China Maritime Forum (CMF), from July 11 to 12, 2019 in Ningbo, China, to commemorate China Maritime Day on 11 July 2019.
Ms Quah said, “In an increasingly challenging and uncertain environment, it is critical for the key maritime stakeholders to strengthen connectivity and share knowledge and best practices. Singapore hopes to contribute to this effort by collaborating with China in the areas of digitalization such as electronic exchange of certificates and bills of lading to enhance port and supply chain efficiencies, and ultimately, global trade flows.”
Ms Quah also spoke at the CMF, where she shared Singapore’s views on how digital and physical connectivity are important to bring about a more prosperous and interconnected world. This is the first time Singapore is speaking at the CMF.