MPA ropes in youth ambassadors to interest peers in maritime industry

Growing up, Ms Lovine Tan would listen to her father's stories about working as an engineer at various ports.

With opportunities that include travelling to different countries, such as China, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, the now 23-year-old finds the industry to be "extremely diverse and interesting".

Her interest grew when she moved back to Singapore at 16 after living in Saudi Arabia - where her father was based - for 6½ years to enrol in the then Anderson Junior College.

The General Paper lessons in JC often focused on the maritime industry, and she researched further before applying to the Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies programme.

During her last semester at the university, she began a weekly podcast for those working or interested in the maritime industry.

She would curate bite-sized content about the latest developments in global shipping and supply chain operations.

Last month, Ms Tan was one of 18 students appointed as the Maritime and Port Authority's (MPA) first batch of MaritimeSG Youth Ambassadors.

The programme provides youth leaders with a platform to share knowledge of the maritime movement with their peers and raise awareness of the industry in Singapore through youth-to-youth advocacy.

Selected from local institutes of higher learning across various academic disciplines, including maritime, business and law, the youth ambassadors will serve for two years.

Ms Tan said: "I think the industry is better known now than in previous years, but more can definitely be done for more young people to understand it.

"I think the only time they are affected or hear about supply chains is when their Shopee parcels are delayed."

Ms Sarah Sharieff chanced upon the industry while visiting polytechnic websites after her O-level studies. She then joined Singapore Polytechnic, which partnered the Singapore Maritime Academy for maritime courses.

The 20-year-old fellow youth ambassador, who is interested in the commercial side of the industry, hopes to reach out to secondary school students and explain more about the different ways to improve efficiency in shipping through digitalisation, and the concept of decarbonisation.

Like Ms Tan, Mr Katiravan Suparmaniam was influenced by a family member.

The 24-year-old NTU mechanical engineering student used to eagerly listen to his older brother talk about his experience of working as a design engineer on a ship.

Mr Katiravan became interested in studying the mechanics of a ship, which led to him aspiring to be a seafarer.

As a youth ambassador, he wishes to reach out to peers who are also interested in seafaring but have little knowledge of it and how to get started.

He urges young people to explore what the maritime field has to offer, and hopes to use his networking opportunities to guide them to the right industry leader or career path.

He said: "I believe that there is something out there for everyone, and it does not have to be (based on) what they have studied.

"(Young people) should explore different career options and opportunities, especially in such a broad industry like maritime. Keep your options open."