Danish Senior Maritime Official Visits Singapore Under the Distinguished Visitors Programme
Singapore played host to Mr Andreas Nordseth, Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority under the Distinguished Visitors Programme (DVP) from 11 to 12 August 2011.
Established in April 1997, the DVP aims to engage senior maritime personalities who are prime movers and key opinion makers in the international maritime community. The DVP aims to establish and build up good and long-lasting relations with these personalities and their organisations, as well as to strengthen bilateral maritime relations.
As Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority, Mr Nordseth is keenly involved in promoting quality shipping and enhancing the competitiveness of the maritime industry in Denmark. He also chairs the Danish Council for Maritime Education and Training and the Steering Committee for Danish Institute of Maritime Research and Innovation. Mr Nordseth is also the Chairman of the Consultative Shipping Group, which comprises maritime administrations of 18 major maritime nations, including Denmark and Singapore, and aims to uphold the principles of open and unrestrictive access to international shipping markets.
This morning, Mr Nordseth called on Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Lui Tuck Yew. Please refer to Annex A for the photo. He also met up with Senior Management of MPA including Mr Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive of MPA. During the meeting, issues of mutual interest such as safety of navigation, maritime security, protection of the marine environment, and other developments at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) were discussed.
“Denmark is one of Singapore’s key maritime partners and is a significant player in the international maritime community. The visit by Mr Nordseth underscores the good relations that Singapore and Denmark enjoy in maritime issues and the co-operation between the two nations both bilaterally and at the IMO. Mr Nordseth’s visit also allows us to build closer bilateral ties, both personal and professional, between MPA and the Danish Maritime Authority,” said Mr Lam Yi Young.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity to visit Singapore and the Maritime and Port Authority as part of the Distinguished Visitors Programme. It is very inspiring to experience first-hand the maritime community of Singapore – one of the strong and leading international hubs in the maritime world. A visit such as this is important for the sharing of experiences between us and for discussing our mutual efforts to influence the course of international maritime policy. It provides a great opportunity to exchange views and discuss current shipping policy issues,” said Mr Nordseth.
Mr Nordseth’s two-day visit programme includes visits to the newly commissioned Port Operations Control Centre in Changi where he was introduced to the state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Information System, the Integrated Simulation Centre in Singapore Polytechnic, PSA terminals and facilities and the Information Sharing Centre of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), which is located in Singapore.
Singapore, 11 August 2011