The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore  and the Directorate General of Sea Transportation , Ministry of Transportation, Republic of Indonesia, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend the co-operation on human resources development of the government officers in the maritime field for another three years. This extension marks 17 years of strong bilateral cooperation between MPA and DGST on maritime training.

Over the last 17 years, close to 100 programmes and workshops have been organised for about 1,600 officials under the MoU. The areas of training include the implementation of conventions under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which contribute to the enhancement of navigational safety and marine environmental protection, as well as maritime leadership development.

Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “This MoU is testament to the close maritime ties between Indonesia and Singapore. The strong commitment by DGST and MPA to facilitate greater exchange of knowledge and best practices will continue to raise the technical capability of our officers.”

Mr Arif Toha, Acting Director General of Sea Transportation, DGST, said, “This MoU aims to improve the technical capability of the officers of the two organisations. It facilitates more frequent exchanges and greater cross-learning between the maritime agencies of Indonesia and Singapore”.