The International Shipsuppliers & Services Association  has placed sustainability, AI as well as diversity and the need to attract the young and talented into the industry at the heart of its 67^th Annual Convention, being held in Singapore.

Opening the three day event, which also includes ‘Meet the Customer’ meetings between ISSA members and 38 of the industry’s top shipowner and ship manager buyers, ISSA President Rafael Fernandez paid tribute to the work of the association in these important areas.

“ISSA places quality of operation and quality of its membership very high on its list of priorities, an essential factor demanded by our clients, the buyers,” he told delegates.

“New members wanting to join ISSA have to undergo rigorous quality checks  to ensure they meet certain essential criteria — aspects that elevate the overall quality and reputation of ISSA as a whole.

“Through our newly elected Executive Board Member, Mr Carl Forsman from Sweden, we are working closely with our shipowner colleagues in helping to draw up guidelines for Scope 3 emissions reporting, contributing to greater transparency and sustainability across the ship supply industry,” he added.

Over 350 ship suppliers from around the world are attending this week’s ISSA Convention. Apart from being the 67^th time the Convention has been held, 2025 is also the 70^th Anniversary of ISSA.

Danny Lien, President of the Singapore Association of Shipsuppliers & Services (SASS), told the first day of the conference: “ISSA has, for seven decades, united ship suppliers and service providers worldwide, advancing standards of excellence and cooperation that continue to guide our industry forward. We are proud to host this year’s convention and to welcome the global ship supply community to our shores.

“Together here in Singapore, where East meets West and tradition meets technology, we also look ahead to the next wave of our industry, shaped by sustainability, digitalisation and synergy. These forces are transforming how we operate, but they also reaffirm what has always defined us as our ability to adapt, to innovate and to move forward together,” he added.