On 8 April 2021, SMOU warmly welcomed Maritime Tripartite Partners for a round-table discussion. Among those present were Sister Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA); Sister Caroline Yang, President of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA); Brother Kam Soon Huat, President of the Singapore Organisation of Seamen (SOS); and officials from the Ministry of Transport (MOT), SSA, MPA, SOS, and SMOU.

One of the discussion topics was focused on prioritising vaccination of the global seafaring workforce. Maritime tripartite partners rolled out protocols for crew change at the Singapore Port in June 2020 and have subsequently prioritised key workers in the maritime sector, including seafarers working in port, for vaccinations. “We’re working at a global level to see how we can get this momentum going for a global programme to vaccinate seafarers,” said Sister Quay Ley Hoon.