The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), together with industry partners, on Monday (17 August) launched several new initiatives to enhance maritime safety.
Announced at the opening of the 13th Singapore Safety@Sea Week, these initiatives will support shared learning, strengthen operational capabilities, and prepare the industry for the safe adoption of new technologies.
Organised by MPA from 17 to 21 August, this year’s Safety@Sea Week is themed “All Hands on Deck – Safety First!”. About 1,500 participants from across the maritime community are expected to take part in 18 events organised by MPA and its partners.
These include the Safety@Sea Symposium, featuring seven speakers across two panel sessions, and three workshops on ammonia bunkering, methanol bunkering, and crew safety awareness.
Speaking at the opening, Mr Murali Pillai, Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport, highlighted three priorities for strengthening maritime safety: harnessing technology responsibly, preparing early for emerging risks, and keeping people at the centre of safety. He also underscored the importance of strong partnerships across the maritime community in building a strong safety culture.
At the opening of Safety@Sea Week, the National Maritime Safety at Sea Council and the Singapore Shipping Association launched the Singapore Near Miss Reporting System to encourage the reporting and sharing of lessons from near miss incidents.
Modelled on the internationally recognised Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP), the system provides sea space users with a confidential online channel to report near misses. CHIRP will independently receive the submissions and provide anonymised information to the Council, which will distil key safety lessons for sharing with the wider maritime community.
Note: More information about the event can be found here.
Photo credit: Peter Nguyen on Unsplash
Published: 17 August, 2026