SINGAPORE – For Ms Lovine Tan, it was a no-brainer when it came down to what she aspired to work as. Growing up, she would listen to her father’s stories about working as an engineer at the port.
With opportunities that include travelling to different parts of the world, such as China, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, the now 23-year-old finds the industry to be “extremely diverse and interesting”.
Ms Tan, who moved back to Singapore at the age of 16 after being in Saudi Arabia for 6½ years to enrol in then Anderson Junior College, now called Anderson Serangoon Junior College, found her interest further fueled when she had to study for the General Paper (GP).
The GP lessons often focused on the maritime industry as a topic, and she began researching the industry 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 specifically catered to 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 first batch of MaritimeSG Youth Ambassadors (MYAs).
The programme provides youth leaders a platform to impart knowledge on the maritime movement to their peers and raise awareness of the industry in Singapore, dubbed MaritimeSG, through youth-to-youth advocacy.
Selected from local institutes of higher learning across various academic disciplines, including maritime, business and law, the MYAs will serve for two years.
Ms Tan said of her appointment: “I think the industry is better known now than 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 parcel is delayed. With the various initiatives taken by MPA and the MYAs, I hope that can change now.”
Ms Sarah Sharieff chanced upon the industry while scrolling through polytechnic websites after her O-level studies. She then joined Singapore Polytechnic, which partnered with Singapore Maritime Academy for maritime courses.
The 20-year-old MYA, who is interested in working 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.
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