Home in focus: Guardians of the sea, MPA's Hydrographic Division
MPA's Hydrographic Division maintains navigational safety in Singapore's waters for over 130,000 ships that call here annually
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Leaping deftly from a vessel onto a floating buoy is part and parcel of Mr Aw Eng Soon's job. The 42-year-old is an assistant hydrographer in the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) Hydrographic Division.
The Singapore Hydrographic Office was established in 1964 to take over the functions of surveying and nautical charting of Singapore's waters from the British Royal Navy. It came under the purview of MPA following MPA's formation in 1996.