Asia/Pacific News
Singapore MPA Officer Takes on IMO MEPC Role
An officer of the Maritime and Port Authority has become the first Singaporean to become vice-chair of the International Maritime Organization's Marine Environment Protection Committee.
MPA officer Tan Hanqiang, first secretary for maritime at the High Commission of the Republic of Singapore to the United Kingdom, has been appointed vice-chair of the MEPC as of December 16, the MPA said in a statement on its website on Friday.
Tan succeeds Harry Conway of Liberia in the role.
The MEPC is the IMO's key committee on environmental matters, and is currently in the process of setting a decarbonisation strategy for the shipping industry. That revised strategy is due to be set after a week-long MEPC meeting in July 2023, and the management of the committee will play a key role in determining when consensus has or has not been reached.
"The appointment is a strong recognition of Singapore's commitment to a multilateral, rules-based approach for international shipping and supports Singapore's long-standing efforts as a bridge-builder to bring together parties for constructive dialogue and consensus-building at various international fora, including climate change efforts," the MPA said in the statement.
"With the impact of climate change and the maritime industry's transformation to meet global targets for decarbonisation, Singapore will also support the IMO by sharing our expertise and co-developing global standards with Member States to drive the decarbonisation of the maritime sector."
