“What if another pandemic hits us? Are we ready to be there for our members? What more can we do?” Brother Farhan ponders.

“What can we do about cybersecurity? It costs millions of dollars for the shipping companies when the IT system gets hacked. Besides common knowledge on how to surf the internet safely, to be a good officer, we need to learn how to be digitally vigilant and maritime cybercompliant. There is also the whole decarbonisation exercise to grapple with. At the end of the day, it is about upgrading our skills sets continuously. How can we harness technology to enhance the way we reach out, train, and sell?”

For Sister Nellisa, the decision to bring back the TETA and TNTA program was a great move, and she hopes more women will join the seafaring industry.

“The maritime industry will continue to be a male-dominated industry for a long time to come. I’ve met a lot of my male counterparts who are very encouraging, and they support this movement of more females joining the ranks. We have Wi-Fi on board. The engine room is well equipped and more advanced now, requiring less strenuous, manual labour. The number of females in the seafaring community is very small. Everyone is very supportive, encouraging, and very willing to share knowledge.”

She observes that the young cadets will need guidance and support every step of the way. “They may not have the foresight to persevere and choose short-term gains as a result. Delaying gratification is pivotal to success. This is the message that needs to go out,” she elaborates.

Farhan, too, is elated that the Union is investing in developing the Singapore Core. “What we need is a more robust way of evaluating the applicants, and once they are in, we go all out to mentor, encourage, and support them. I hope that we younger leaders will set a good example and inspire them.”