Pic: Singapore maritime ecosystem

The Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC) Maritime Case Summit returns for the 3rd edition with leading multinationals across the spectrum of trade, shipping, finance as well as supply chain and logistics offering challenge statements that plug tertiary students into the dynamic maritime ecosystem. The four companies, each a leader in their respective domains, have crafted challenge statements that are at the intersection of business and sustainability. They will mentor shortlisted teams through to the Grand Final on 8 April 2022, which will be held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week.

The participating companies this year are:

BHP

Students will act as “consultants” to BHP to identify and evaluate the likely “winners” in safety and decarbonisation technologies that will rapidly gain momentum and adoption in the 2030’s onwards, as well as the impact of future decarbonisation technology on vessel safety.

CMA CGM

Students may propose to expand the CMA CGM Group’s range of ACT with CMA CGM+ solutions that enable shippers to analyse, reduce and offset their carbon footprint; OR develop a new portfolio of solutions which can take shippers on the same environmental course beyond decarbonisation. The expanded or new portfolio may include best practices or solutions that protect ocean biodiversity through reef recovery, plastic waste reduction and/or other actions that could be initiated to fight climate change and protect biodiversity. The proposals will package and price the solutions so that shippers can invest and own the initiatives to green their supply chains.

Standard Chartered

Students will develop a solution to track and forecast asset carbon emissions, benchmarking results against market peers and industry emission reduction standards. Thereafter, students will construct a framework to price the value of a maritime carbon credit, where shipowners with high/low carbon-emission ships can buy/sell into the marketplace.

Toll Group

Students will assume the role of “Head of Sustainability and Diversification” of Toll Group Asia to map out the transition and diversification of the Toll Offshore Petroleum Services facility (TOPS) business. This entails: (a) identifying significant sustainability enhancements of existing facilities in TOPS, (b) identifying (‘green’) investment opportunities to help drive growth in the front end of the business, and (c) identifying improvement opportunities within the back end of the business with clear and quantifiable economic and environmental impact.

“Companies across the maritime ecosystem from shipping to logistics providers are on the quest to balance production with sustainability. The MSC Maritime Case Summit 2022 combines challenge statements and mentorship from companies to give students exposure to real-world considerations that the industry is today addressing,” said Ms. Tan Beng Tee, Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Foundation.

“The MSC Maritime Case Summit is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to understand the current landscape of the maritime industry. We are very excited to see the fresh ideas and perspectives that the students will bring to help solve the challenges that we are facing today,” said Ms. Sarah Greenough, Head of Maritime Supply Chain Sustainability and Excellence, BHP.

“The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, is in the race to become a Net Zero Carbon company by 2050. We are already onboard through energy transition with 23 ‘e-methane ready’ vessels today and will have 44 in our fleet by 2024. We are also operationalising sustainability, and moving forward with research and development to decarbonise shipping. Our young leaders will continue the fight against climate change and it would be opportune to learn their priorities including actions on climate economics, mobility and transportation, through to biodiversity conservation,” said Ms. Shirley Poo, Head of Communications and Sustainability, CMA CGM Asia Pacific.

“Standard Chartered is proud to partner with the Singapore Maritime Foundation on this excellent initiative. The decarbonisation of the maritime sector is an important agenda that is progressing rapidly and requires extensive collaboration across multiple stakeholders, including banks like us. We look forward to cultivating a strong relationship with the participating students and receiving their invaluable insights and analysis,” said Mr. Chih Chwen Heng, Director, Shipping Finance, Standard Chartered. “Toll hopes that this MSC Maritime Case Summit 2022 will not just provide students a better real-world understanding of the multi-dimensional issues that surround shipping, logistics and sustainability, but also sharpen their business acumen and hone their backend management skills as they develop fresh solutions and ideas. We are looking forward to their proposals and hope to leverage their perspectives to expand our paradigm as we forge towards a greener, more sustainable future,” said Mr. Victor Tan Executive Vice President – Asia Global Logistics, Toll Group.

The MSC Maritime Case Summit is open to all Singapore-based students from all universities and polytechnics. Students must register in teams of four. Registration is open from 11 January to 4 February. For each challenge statement, the winning team will win a cash prize of $3,500 while the first runner-up and second runner-up will win cash prizes of $3,000 and $2,500 respectively. In addition, students will gain valuable opportunities to be mentored by industry professionals and stand to clinch internships with participating companies. Registration for the MSC Maritime Case Summit is now open at https://bit.ly/3t83Lst.

Marex Media