The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has hosted the 44th ASEAN Ports Association (APA) Meeting on 27 and 28 November 2018. The annual meeting was officially opened by the Chairman of MPA, Niam Chiang Meng, at the Conrad Centennial Hotel.
About 100 key port executives and decision-makers from the nine member nations of the APA attended the event, which serves as a platform for ASEAN ports to cooperate in areas such as port development, operations and management.
The nine member nations of the APA are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the APA and General Manager of Johor Port Authority, Muhammad Razif Bin Ahmad said, “The APA Meeting continues to be a valuable platform for members to exchange information and best practices to meet both existing demands and future challenges, such as protection of the environment, connectivity, safety and security.”
During the meeting, each member nation is presenting a paper and share best practices on topics ranging from port development to enhancing port productivity.
In his keynote address, Niam said, “Free trade and economic integration have been integral to peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia over the last 50 years. To ensure that ASEAN ports continue to meet future operational needs and challenges, the APA should leverage technology and enhance its human resource development and capabilities.”
Formed in 1974, the APA comprises regular and associate members. Regular members are national port authorities and/or country ports in which the government retains majority interest. Associate members are corporatised or privatised ports.