The French Directorate of Maritime Affairs (DMA) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen their maritime relations on 19 April. The agreement was signed by Mr Marc Abensour, Ambassador of France to Singapore, and Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, on the sidelines of the Singapore Maritime Week. This MOU will gather, on the French side, key stakeholders of the maritime sector such as the French Maritime Cluster (FMC), French Marine Industry Group (GICAN) and the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS), to strengthen the strong France-Singapore maritime cooperation.
The MOU aims at developing synergies in forefront areas in the maritime field such as digital innovation, digitalisation, sustainability, in particular by fostering industrial and institutional partnerships. It will also promote collaboration in training and skills development, and help to develop academic and research cooperation dedicated to the maritime sector.
French Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Marc Abensour said: « This MOU is a major step forward for the maritime cooperation between France and Singapore. It will encourage efforts to innovate through concrete projects between our two maritime ecosystems. It will contribute among other things to foster digitalisation and decarbonisation of the maritime sector. I am very pleased to witness the strong support of the French maritime sector and I look forward to closer and deeper collaboration between both sides. »
MOU Signing Ceremony was held on 19 April 2021 between Mr Marc Abensour, Ambassador of France to Singapore and Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA to further promote maritime cooperation between Singapore and France.
President of the French Maritime Cluster (FMC), Mr Frederic Moncany de Saint-Aignan said: “With this MOU, the entire French Maritime task force; comprising of the French Embassy, DMA, FCCS, BPI France, FMC, GICAN, private companies, labs, and universities, is committed to promoting and developing synergies and concrete projects with Singapore. In the particular field of the environmental transition, FMC is acting at the forefront with digital tools and AI in addition to unifying initiatives such as the launch of the “Eco-Energy Transition Coalition” in 2019. Our objective is to promote a global approach, synchronise and mutualise efforts to allow maritime industry to reach the global climate goals.”
President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS), Pascal Lambert, said: “This agreement demonstrates the deep ties which continue to be developed between the French ecosystem and the Singapore economy. With its more than 700 members, the FCCS is a demonstration of the dynamism of this business community. We are proud to witness the continuous successes of some of our most dynamic economic sectors, and the maritime industry is clearly one of them. The clear focus given by Singapore in digital innovation as well as sustainable development fit very well with the expertise of the French maritime industry, and we are very confident that this agreement will be of mutual benefit to both sides.”
Source: Hellenic Shipping
