Senior Minister of State for Defence Chan Chun Sing opened this weekend's Navy Open House by reminding Singaporeans of their navy's "hard work behind the scenes" in securing the sea lanes that deliver imported food and energy that the country depends on.

He said on Saturday: "Everything that we eat, the air-con we turn on, the energy we use, comes from somewhere else in this world."

Mr Chan also stressed that despite the state-of-the-art technology on display during the open house, it is the servicemen and women who ensure that the navy does it job well.

"They are the people who make all these machines work," he said. "The machines do not define the capabilities of the SAF or the navy."

For the very first time, visitors to this year's open house will get to board and tour visiting warships from Australia, India, Indonesia and the United States. The warships were in town this week for the International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference, which concluded on Thursday.

They will also get to experience a mock-up of a submarine interior, complete with periscope and sleeping quarters, and view the Republic of Singapore Navy's own warships, including its Formidable-class frigates.

The navy hopes to attract about 120,000 people to its open house, which is held once every three years.