Singaporeans must guard against 'sea blindness': Chief of Navy

SINGAPORE - Singapore having access to the sea is akin to residents in a Housing Board flat enjoying free and shared use of the common corridor, said the Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Lew Chuen Hong, on Monday (Nov 11).

But Singaporeans have grown increasingly oblivious to the sea's importance, with the easy availability of goods in Singapore and the shift of its economic activities and residential areas inland, he cautioned.

This "sea blindness" was among the biggest challenges facing the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) today, said the rear-admiral in an interview ahead of the Navy @ Vivo public outreach event, which starts on Wednesday (Nov 13).

During the 50-minute interview, he also gave an update on the RSN's ship acquisition programme, revealing that the first of the upcoming multi-role combat vessels will be operational by 2027.

The current fleet of missile corvettes, first commissioned in 1990, is due to be replaced with these combat vessels by 2030.

And the recently-launched Invincible-class submarine currently undergoing harbour trials in Germany is scheduled to return to Singapore by 2021.

The navy has also invested in unmanned capabilities, in part to allay manpower constraints, said RADM Lew. The first patrols by unmanned surface vessels will start by the end of next year (2020).

"Can you imagine a fleet of unmanned vehicles being controlled by just one single operator? That is really force multiplying. And with unmanned technology, we can also put ships and boats to do operations without putting men and women into harm's way."

The rear-admiral, 43, spoke with reporters on board the stealth frigate RSS Supreme, which will be open to the public for tours during Navy @ Vivo. It was his first interview since he took command in June 2017.

The six-day event at VivoCity shopping mall is among the efforts by the RSN to bring the navy and the sea to Singaporeans, as a reminder of its importance, said RADM Lew.

When asked about the December 2018 maritime intrusions by Malaysia government vessels into Singapore waters that led to bilateral tensions, he said the facts of the case were clear.

He said the 1979 boundary off Tuas that Malaysia claimed was never accepted by Singapore, and in December last year Malaysia extended its claims even beyond that 1979 line.

The navy, along with other security agencies, was deployed during that period to assert the Republic's sovereignty in its territorial waters off Tuas, including issuing verbal warnings to encroaching vessels.

"Singapore had to stand firm as far as our interests were concerned. And the navy was prepared to be deployed," he said, adding that sailors were very heartened by the support Singaporeans gave, including through handwritten notes.

He said that the navy was ready to respond to any contingencies then, and it had also executed their task with restraint and professionalism to allow negotiations to take place.

"Today, the Malaysian ships are no longer (anchored) in the area, and we look forward to the continued discussions between both sides. It is the Singapore navy's mission and task to secure the seas for Singapore, and that's what we will continue to do."

To explain territorial sea disputes, he used the analogy of one person who decides to occupy an entire space in a HDB common corridor, resulting in all residents' passage being impeded.

Worse, if each neighbour then decides to stake claim to the common corridor space as his own, "then the real issue is that nobody can use that common corridor", he added.

He said there was "a state of legal chaos" in the 1950s, when many countries started to claim the seas as their own, which affected other countries' access to sea lanes.

It took 24 years of negotiations before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos) was established to govern international use of and sovereign rights to the sea. This was important to Singapore, he said.

"Because it's only by reinforcing these rules and norms that we will continue to have access, as a small country, to that shared common corridor that is critical to our economic survival and our day-to-day economic success."

RADM Lew was also asked how the South China Sea disputes affect Singaporeans. Besides Taiwan, four Asean nations - Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei - make overlapping claims on the parts of the vital commercial waterway.

He said that as a small maritime nation, Singapore has critical interests in the outcome of the case. Among them is to have those disputes resolved amicably in accordance with international law.

As a maritime nation, said RADM Lew, there would not be a Singapore or a Singaporean way of life without the sea.

The maritime industry contributes about seven per cent to Singapore's GDP, and employs more than 170,000 people. Singapore is also one of the world's busiest transshipment hubs, with an average of 140,000 vessels calling at its ports annually.

Despite this, our connection to the sea has waned.

RADM Lew pointed out that Singapore's connection to the sea was very strong in the 19th century. Singapore was a trading port and economic activity was concentrated along the Singapore River.

"But today that direction has waned somewhat. Economic activity has shifted inland, and I think that direct connection of Singaporeans understanding that criticality - it's not that strong.

"There is this sense of what we call 'sea blindness'- an inability to appreciate how important the sea is, even though it is critical to our day to day lives," added RADM Lew.

For instance, 99 per cent of Singapore's rice comes via the sea, he said. Undersea fibre optic cables enable high-speed Internet connectivity around the world.

There is a need to lean against that tinge of sea blindness, with critical interests at stake, RADM Lew emphasised.

"To do so, the navy needs to continue to be at the forefront to be relevant, to be sharp, but at the same time our people must have that mindset to push boundaries and to be pioneers of our generation.

"I think only then can we secure Singapore and our Singaporean way of life."