The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is developing the Maritime Singapore Master Plan, targeted for release in 2027, as the country sets a longer-term direction for its maritime sector.
The plan will outline strategies to strengthen Singapore’s competitiveness as a global hub port and improve its position as an International Maritime Centre. It will also support growth in maritime technology and innovation, including Artificial Intelligence and R&D, while building a skilled maritime workforce.
In the coming months, MPA will engage businesses, industry stakeholders and the public to gather feedback and ideas. A local industry panel comprising key business leaders will also be formed to provide input on opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
MPA said the initiative builds on steady growth and transformation in the sector, which has anchored more than 200 international shipping groups and created about 2,000 PME jobs for locals over the past five years.
Speaking at the Ministry of Transport’s Committee of Supply 2026 debate, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Law Murali Pillai said the master plan will serve as a future-focused, industry-wide blueprint for the sector’s development over the next few decades. He said MPA will develop the plan with business leaders, unions and the public before formalising it in 2027.
Singapore is also continuing to invest in port capacity. When completed in the 2040s, Tuas Port will have a capacity of 65 million TEUs and will be the world’s largest fully automated container terminal.
Alongside that effort, Singapore is launching a new Maritime Cluster Fund Global Rotation scheme. The scheme will provide grants to companies to co-fund overseas deployments for local middle managers so they can build the experience needed for supervisory roles.
From the second half of 2026, MPA will also expand trials of unmanned surface vessels in Singapore’s port waters. The findings will support the integration of USVs into port operations, while MPA and industry partners work on safety standards, technical specifications and operating procedures.
On the disruption to maritime activity caused by conflict in the Middle East, Murali said Singapore must remain open and support the free flow of trade and partnerships. He also said the country will work with like-minded partners on international shipping rules and standards, including through Green and Digital Shipping Corridors to help promote a more sustainable and connected maritime ecosystem.
