Mr. Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, was Guest-of-Honor at the event, which saw 80 trees planted and $24,000 raised for charity

Singapore, 26 August 2024 —The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) partnered with National Parks Board’s (NParks) registered charity and IPC, Garden City Fund to organise a tree planting at Coney Island Park, which brought together 62 past and present MaritimeONE scholars and 13 corporate donors[1] in a collective effort to give back to the community. The $24,000 raised from corporate partners enabled 80 trees to be planted on 24 August 2024, under Garden City Fund’s Plant-A-Tree programme. Mr. Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, graced the event as the Guest-of-Honor. The event, called the MaritimeONE Scholars’ Advance, was created in 2017 to strengthen the bond between past and present MaritimeONE scholars and for the scholars to contribute to social causes that uplifts Singapore.

To support the wildlife in Coney Island Park, fruit-bearing trees were planted to replace the trees that were uprooted by storms which occurred last year. One such species is the Syzygium aqueum, also known as the watery rose apple tree or Jambu tree.  

This initiative is in line with the wider OneMillionTrees movement launched by NParks in April 2020, which aims to plant one million more trees across Singapore over ten years, integrating the urban environment with nature and strengthening the nation’s resilience to climate change. This vision to transform Singapore into a City in Nature is a key pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

“The Singapore Maritime Foundation initiated the tree-planting activity to remind our scholars of the importance of being responsible stewards of the environment. This is a theme that resonates deeply with the maritime community, and I am glad that we were able to partner Garden City Fund on the Plant-A-Tree programme. This initiative allows our youths to gain a deeper appreciation of nature and the importance of sustainable development, while broadening their networks with peers and industry representatives. I thank all the donor companies for their generosity, and look forward to more meaningful partnerships to come,” said Mr. Hor Weng Yew, Chairman, Singapore Maritime Foundation.

[1] Please refer to Annex A for the full list of donors.