Charting Your Course in Maritime By Ms Tan Beng Tee, Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Foundation, and Mr Li Tz Yuan, NTU Year 2 Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate

Li Tz Yuan

Year 2, Mechanical Engineering Student at NTU

2023 MaritimeONE Scholarship Recipient

My voyage into the maritime industry first began when I enrolled in the Diploma in Marine & Offshore Technology at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. During my studies, I was fortunate to gain invaluable experience through a six-month internship with a marine and offshore service provider. As a business development engineer in the ship brokerage division, I helped to establish and maintain strategic partnerships with 51 marine companies across 37 countries, including shipowners and managers of diverse vessel types such as chemical tankers, bulk carriers, tugboats, and offshore support vessels.

As I began taking on more responsibilities, such as spearheading marketing campaigns and strategies for vessel and port machinery, I gained a strong sense of fulfilment in driving this essential sector. My growing passion to contribute to the maritime industry’s growth eventually led me to return to the company as a business mentor to impart key learnings to my juniors.

Giving back has always been close to my heart, and I wanted to find ways to contribute to this purposeful industry that not only delivers essential supplies but enables nations to flourish through international trade.

Receiving the MaritimeONE Scholarship was a defining moment in my academic journey, as I soon discovered how the programme allows me to build my skill sets, forge strong networks, and be mentored by industry veterans. Above all, it excites me that I am joining a close-knit community that cares.

I am excited at the prospect of joining my scholarship sponsor, Ocean Network Express (ONE), when I graduate. To me, ONE exemplifies what makes Maritime Singapore so dynamic and attractive. In 2017, when the three leading Japanese shipowners—‘K’ Line, MOL, and NYK—decided to amalgamate their container shipping operations via the formation of a new company, they chose Singapore as ONE’s global headquarters. ONE’s ships sail the oceans, and they cannot be missed; they are painted in a vibrant magenta—a nod to the Sakura, which signifies the company’s Japanese heritage.

I would like to thank ONE for their faith in me and for supporting my studies. Moving forward, I hope to leverage these invaluable opportunities as a MaritimeONE scholar and as an engineer to help ONE and Maritime Singapore navigate towards a more innovative and sustainable future.

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