Former President of Singapore Shipping Association receives Capital Link leadership award
- Published
by Admin
Caroline Yang, the former President of Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) between 2019 to 2025, on Monday (20 April) received the ‘2026 Capital Link Shipping Leadership Award’ at the 8th Annual Capital Link Singapore Maritime Forum.
Nicolas Bornozis, Founder, President and CEO of Capital Link, presented the award to Ms Yang after a strong citation from current SSA President TS Teo.
Mr Teo described Ms Yang’s dedication, passion, and decisiveness during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as “invaluable” to the Singapore maritime sector.
“While at the height of the pandemic with the world in lockdown, Caroline took the lead in pushing for crew change in Singapore,” he praised.
“This became a lifeline for thousands and thousands of seafarers undergoing crew change at Singapore port. She faced countless roadblocks but was very, very determined.”
Ms Yang, who is the CEO of Singapore bunkering firm Hong Lam Marine and Board Member of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), expressed gratitude in receiving the award.
“I was truly privileged and humbled when I became President of SSA,” she noted, while adding “I must say, in our generation, we have never had such an onslaught of challenges.”
Ms Yang highlighted despite volatility from the pandemic, wars and geopolitics, global shipping successfully maintained its status quo by functioning as the backbone of globalisation while keeping inline cost efficiency.
Moving forward, she emphasised the maritime industry still suffers from a manpower gap of approximately 100,000 seafarers – and current global instability has not helped the situation.
“We are discouraging them [seafarers] from entering the sector through these wars because when we do well, these are the frontliners who are not able to get home,” she explained.
“We need to do something about this and put them front and centre of whatever we do.”
Photo credit: Capital Link
Published: 22 April 2026
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