Search

Mr. Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, Appointed as New SMF Chairman Along with Four New Board Members

01 January 2016
Back to List

Key figures on Singapore maritime industry’s Y2015 performance also announced at the SMF New Year Cocktail Reception on 13 Jan 2016

About 300 top maritime leaders from the private and the public sectors attended the annual New Year Cocktail Reception hosted by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) this evening, where the new SMF Board was also inaugurated.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, was the Guest of Honour for the event at PARKROYAL on Pickering, Singapore. In his speech, Minister Khaw highlighted the overall performance of the Singapore maritime industry and port performance in 2015. Please refer to the press kit for the transcript of the speech.

Mr Lucien Wong, Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, presented Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group, with his letter of appointment as Chairman of SMF, as part of the evening’s proceedings.

Mr Sohmen-Pao took over the helm from Mr Michael Chia, Managing Director (Marine & Technology), Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. Mr Chia stepped down after 10 years of service on the SMF Board, including six years as chairman. Four maritime leaders from the shipping, maritime services and offshore and marine sectors were also added to the SMF Board, along with the reappointment of five Board members. Please refer to Appendix A for the list of the SMF Board members.

The SMF Board comprises prominent senior personalities from the maritime industry, and sets the direction for SMF’s industry promotion initiatives. Since the inception of SMF in 2004, SMF has been working in sync with the public and private sectors of the maritime community to spearhead new initiatives to further Singapore’s position as an international maritime centre and attract talents to pursue maritime education and careers.

In his opening address, outgoing SMF Chairman, Mr Michael Chia, highlighted some key milestones in the past year – including the Sea Asia 2015 show1, which saw record numbers in participation, and the release of the revised New York Produce Exchange (NYPE) form – an international shipping form2 that SMF worked on with the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ASBA) and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).

It has been a great joy to see how the work of SMF has grown over the years. As part of the renewal process, I will be stepping down from the SMF Board after a decade of service, including six years as Chairman. It has been an enriching and memorable journey for me, and a real honour to serve in this position.

Mr. Michael Chia, outgoing SMF Chairman

“I want to thank all SMF’s partners for supporting our efforts to further Singapore’s aspirations in the global maritime arena, as well as the development of manpower for the industry,” Mr. Chia continued.

In his speech, Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, the new Chairman of SMF, thanked Mr Michael Chia and three other Board members who stepped down from service, and also welcomed four new members to the Board.

Speaking on upcoming initiatives in 2016, Mr Sohmen-Pao highlighted the Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC) Office as a new national-level initiative which would help to build an integrated network of various stakeholders on the industry, school and Government fronts to focus on education and career guidance as well as recruitment for the maritime industry. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has committed S$4 million for this new set-up  under SMF as part of SkillsFuture-related initiatives to profile and promote maritime careers under the Sectoral Tripartite Committee for Transport (Sea).

Mr Sohmen-Pao also shared that SMF planned to promote the Singapore Ship Sale Form, which is now available on BIMCO’s IDEA2 Charter Party editing system, along with the revised NYPE form. He urged for the industry’s support for the upcoming Sea Asia shows and the MaritimeONE Scholarships4.

It is a privilege to be working with a great team in a great industry in a great country. Singapore has been doing all the right things to grow a successful maritime community here, with strong support from industry players.

Mr. Andreas Sohmen-Pao, newly-appointed SMF Chairman

Mr. Sohmen-Pao added: “While the maritime sector is currently facing headwinds, this is what shipping and offshore is all about – braving the waves and the storms while staying focused on the goal. The Singapore Maritime Foundation was established to support the vision of a vibrant Maritime Singapore, and we will continue to work on this so that we are even better placed globally in years to come.”

1 Last year’s Sea Asia was the biggest to date, with more than 16,000 participants from 85 different countries attending the conference and exhibition. The exhibition was 30 per cent bigger than the previous edition in 2013, with a nett exhibition space of more than 8,000 sqm.

2 SMF collaborated with ASBA and BIMCO on the revision of the New York Produce Exchange (NYPE) time charterparty form – the industry’s most widely used standard from of dry cargo time charterparty. The revised form which was published on BIMCO’s IDEA2 Charter Party Editing System last October, reflects changes in commercial practice and recent legal decisions. SMF sought to ensure the representation of Asian views in this revision.

3 Sea Asia Offshore Maritime Executive Forum in April 2016 and the Sea Asia conference and exhibition in April 2017.

4 The MaritimeONE Scholarship programme is spearheaded by SMF as one of the key initiatives to nurture talents for the Singapore maritime sector. Sponsoring companies provide the funding for these scholarships and these scholarships are administered by the staff of SMF. About 21 maritime-related degree and diploma programmes are supported by the MaritimeONE scholarships.

Download Press Release

About Singapore Maritime Foundation

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) was established on 27 January 2004 to facilitate dialogue and cooperation among maritime stakeholders from the public and private sectors. As the bridge between the public and private sectors, SMF aims to provide the industry with a clear and representative voice, and spearhead projects to boost its development.

SMF also organises and participates in a host of maritime events to strengthen the Maritime Singapore brand. To date, SMF has significantly benefitted from strong support from all sectors of the industry which has enabled the organisation to reach out directly to the community for new areas of work to improve the current maritime ecosystem.

For details, please visit www.smf.com.sg.

Media Contacts

Singapore Maritime Foundation
Regina Lim
Senior Manager
reginalim@sgmf.com.sg
(65) 6325 0117
logo-white

Subscribe to Our Newsletter   

ABOUT US

CONNECT BUSINESSES

SPUR INNOVATION

DEVELOP TALENT

EVENTS

MEDIA CENTRE

SMF BLOG

CONTACT US

Linkedin Youtube

Inaugural MSC Maritime Digital Challenge Grand Finals Prize Presentation

Over 129 tertiary students across 35 teams took part in the inaugural MSC Maritime Digital Challenge that seeks to plug Singapore students with a passion for technology into the maritime industry.
Students from the Singapore Management University and Nanyang Polytechnic were announced as winners of the challenges posed by Eastport Maritime, Kanda and Torvald Klaveness at the Prize Presentation held on 13 November 2021.

MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021

Three challenge statements, 35 teams, 129 students and 12 finalist teams from 4 universities & 3 polytechnics. Catch behind-the-scene highlights of the MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021.

Singapore Maritime Foundation | MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021

Catch highlights of the MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021. We thank Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport Mr. Chee Hong Tat for being our Guest-of-Honour at the event.

SMF New Year Conversations 2022: Year-in-Perspective Video

The past two years of learning to live with Covid-19 has been challenging, but Maritime Singapore has remained resilient. What are the fundamental tenets that attract companies to anchor their business in Singapore and grow their operations here? And what more can be done to leverage on Singapore’s strengths to enhance its attractiveness as a global business hub for maritime companies? How will the Singapore Maritime Foundation organize its work around Connectivity, Innovation and Talent to strengthen the maritime ecosystem? Find out in this Year-in-Perspective video.

SMF New Year Conversations 2022: Opportunities Amid Disruptions

The 2022 SMF New Year Conversations that took place on 13 January 2022 was graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Transport & Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations. Over 250 industry leaders across the breadth of maritime attended physically and virtually.
Singapore was announced to have secured the overall top spot as an international maritime centre for the fifth consecutive time in the DNV-Menon Leading Maritime Cities 2022 report.
Thank you to our industry partners for your strong support.

Mr. Lars Kastrup

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL LINES

Mr. Lars Kastrup is the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific International Lines (Pte) Ltd (PIL).

Prior to joining PIL, Mr. Kastrup was CEO of NOL/APL, and subsequently assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Strategy and M&A at CMA CGM Group. A veteran in the global shipping industry with over 30 years of experience, Mr Kastrup’s other roles include Executive Vice President of Assets at CMA CGM Group heading up CMA Terminals, CMA Ships, Container Logistics as well as regional carriers such as MacAndrews, OPDR and Mercosul; as well as Vice President at AP Moller-Maersk.
Mr. Kastrup complemented his tertiary education with leadership and management training at Penn State University and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Angeline Teo

MANAGING DIRECTOR & HEAD, GLOBAL TRANSPORTATION & OFFSHORE, OCBC BANK

Ms. Angeline Teo is the Managing Director and Head of Global Transportation and Offshore, Global Corporate Banking at OCBC Bank which focuses on the maritime, aviation, land & port ecosystems.
Ms. Teo has spent over three decades in maritime finance. Prior to OCBC, Ms. Teo was working at ING Bank, ABN Amro and DnB in Singapore focusing on maritime and offshore.
Ms. Teo graduated from the National University of Singapore with a degree in Business Administration.

Mr. John Martin

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GARD SINGAPORE

Mr. John Martin began his career in London in 1989 with Richards Hogg Lindley Average Adjusters, and qualified as a Fellow of the UK Association of Average Adjusters in 2000.
At RHL he worked in their offices in Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2003 he joined Gard Hong Kong, as a claims handler. Mr. Martin also worked in Gard Japan, and in 2014 he moved to Singapore to set up the Gard Singapore office.
Besides running Gard Singapore, Mr. Martin also heads the P&I and H&M claims units and is the Senior Claims Representative for Gard in Asia.

Mr. Cyril Ducau

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, EASTERN PACIFIC SHIPPING

Mr. Cyril Ducau is the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte Ltd, a leading shipping company headquartered in Singapore for the past 30 years.

He is also currently the Chairman of Kenon Holdings Ltd and a member of the board of directors of Gard P&I (Bermuda) Ltd. and of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation Limited, which was established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. He was previously Head of Business Development of Quantum Pacific Advisory Limited in London from 2008 to 2012 and acted as Director and Chairman of Pacific Drilling SA between 2011 and 2018.
Prior to joining Quantum Pacific Advisory Limited, Mr. Ducau was Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. International Ltd. in London between 2000 and 2008.
Mr. Ducau graduated from ESCP Europe Business School (Paris, Oxford, Berlin) and holds a Master of Science in business administration and a Diplom Kaufmann.