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| Singapore junior minister pledges commitment to maritime industry |
| Time：2010-2-24 Read：4738 |
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THE Singapore government is committed to supporting the maritime sector by pressing ahead with the Pasir PanjangTerminals extension and measures to retain maritime business, said Lim Hwee Hua, second minister for finance and transport.
Speaking to the Singapore Organisation of Seaman (SOS)/Seacare Hong Bao, Mrs Lim said the Maritime Port Authority is also working with universities, polytechnics and the industry to develop Singapore's maritime education, training and research capabilities.
"These are all part of our long-term efforts to expand our maritime sector to ensure that there are good jobs for Singaporeans," she said.
"The maritime community has always been closely-knit. Over the years, you have provided a vital service to our maritime community. The efforts of SOS and Seacare to support and care for seafarers are indeed commendable and are one of the best examples of how the union can work closely with management to care for your workers, especially during an economic recession," said Mrs Lim.
"In a downturn, some companies try to cut benefits to keep costs low. SOS is an important voice to ensure that the welfare of our seafarers is looked after," she said.
"Even though 2009 was a challenging year for the whole maritime industry, we still managed a decent performance. Singapore remains the world's busiest container port and top bunkering port. This is in no small part due to our important tri-partite arrangement of which SOS remains a valuable partner," said Mrs Lim. |
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