industry announcement: Increased regulatory requirements, public demand for reducing environmental impacts and transparency provided by the internet and social networks…. all these factors are contributing to the necessity of the maritime industry to re-focus its public image. But how?
“Industry members understand the value proposition of the maritime sector, but communicating that to the public has always been a challenge,” stated Peter Hinchliffe, former International Chamber of Shipping Secretary General. “How many conferences do we attend where there is a collective wringing of hands and bemoaning of the low level of awareness? Good news is we are coming into the public eye and we must be able to tell our story and tell it in a constructive and insightful way. Alignment with public facing stakeholders is a necessity and this is a driving force of the World Congress on Maritime Heritage in Singapore.”
The Inaugural World Congress on Maritime Heritage will be held from 13 to 15 March 2019 at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. The Congress will address the current state of the shipping industry, examine the sector’s past influence on global trade and cultural influences as featured in the world’s maritime museums, address the oceans and sustainability, illuminate signature undersea archeological and exploration activities, and connect these communities to provide a window into the future. Importantly, participants in the Congress will include public-facing stakeholders such as maritime museums and others who will help to carry the maritime industry story.
“This is a ground-breaking opportunity to engage with the public and shape the face of the industry,” claimed Hinchliffe. “This will provide the maritime industry with not just additional advocates for our value to global society but will help facilitate our ability to move goods and energy around the globe.”
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim will be a keynote speaker, along with top Singapore Cabinet ministers. Former Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu will open the Congress. Other topics being covered in the conference include how the ocean is a pathway to commerce and the global economy, a sustainable future, cultural diversity, and governance. Additional features include “Why we must explore the past to navigate the future”, undersea commerce, tourism and maritime heritage in the global context, and regional breakout opportunities.
The Congress is being jointly organised by the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage and Resorts World Sentosa with support from the IMO, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA).
Resorts World Sentosa is also official venue host for the three-day event which will include a programme held at the revamped Maritime Experiential Museum, the only one of its kind in Singapore dedicated to the exploration of the iconic Maritime Silk Route. Housing a total of 15 immersive galleries, the attraction holds a combination of state-of-the-art visual projections and multimedia shows. Highlights include the Jewel of Muscat, an Arabian ship which made a tumultuous 138-day voyage from Oman to Singapore in 2010 using ancient navigational methods with a crew of 15.
Registration for the Congress is now open. For more information on the programme and invited speakers, visit the official website of World Congress on Maritime Heritage 2019 (wcmh2019.com).
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