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SINGAPORE – Singapore knew that facilitating crew changes for seafarers trapped at sea could lead to risks such as importing Covid-19 cases, but decided to go ahead anyway to do the right thing as a maritime nation, the minister said. State Department of Transportation and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat on Wednesday (November 18).
The Republic viewed the situation, in which hundreds of thousands of seafarers were turned away by ports around the world in recent months, as a humanitarian crisis that also compromised the safety of navigation and threatened the flow of essential goods.
“We take the position that we must start by doing the right thing and then work with partners to get it right by implementing the necessary risk mitigation measures,” Chee said.
Therefore, the Government worked with industry players and unions to implement a protocol to facilitate crew changes. More than 57,000 crew members of different nationalities from more than 3,500 ships have benefited from this since March, Chee added.
This stance of doing the right thing is the first of three areas in which the Republic has differentiated itself amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he told an audience of some 300 people at a virtual awards gala dinner organized by the Chamber of Singapore International Trade.
This, along with support for tripartite partners, is especially important in times of crisis, for others to maintain trust in Singapore, Chee added.
“It is during a crisis that we can clearly see who our true friends are and which countries are trustworthy and can be counted on.
“On the contrary, it is also an opportunity to find out who the good weather friends are.”
Singapore has also set itself apart in its commitment to planning for the long term and investing for the future “when others seek initiatives for short-term benefits,” Chee said.
Third, even as “others turn inward and erect barriers in response to populist pressures,” Singapore’s goal is to remain open to talent and stay connected to the world. This has created openness and diversity in society, he said.
“Innovation is more likely to occur at the intersection of different ideas and perspectives, when they come together to create something new,” Chee said.
He warned that the development of populist and xenophobic policies would lead companies to relocate to other countries, resulting in more Singaporeans losing their jobs.
Mr. Chee also presented awards to winners in four categories yesterday. A wine harvesting robot at Changi’s DFS, which was the result of a collaboration between Changi Airport Group, Temasek Polytechnic and Softbank Telecom Singapore, received the award for best technology collaboration.
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