Singapore Maritime Week 2026: Shaping Resilient Supply Chains

Singapore Maritime Week 2026 convened global shipping industry leaders to examine the future shape of the maritime sector amid rising geopolitical and operational complexity. Chief Executive Officer Capt. Raja Subramaniam joined industry discussions, contributing frontline insights and engaging with leaders across sectors on shipping’s vital role in building resilient global supply chains.

Steering Through Turbulence at Lloyd’s List Outlook Forum

Capt. Raja Subramaniam joined senior industry leaders at the Lloyd’s List Intelligence Singapore Outlook Forum on 22 April to discuss how a rapidly shifting global landscape is redefining maritime risk. Discussions ranged from geopolitical tensions and Middle East disruptions to evolving trade policies, tariffs and port dynamics, underscoring the growing complexity confronting shipping today.

Drawing on operational experience, Capt. Raja contributed a frontline perspective on how these pressures translate into daily decision-making for shipowners and operators.

Disruption, Chokeholds, Resilient Supply Chains

Capt. Raja took the stage at CNBC Converge Live – Supply Chains Under Siege, held at Jewel Changi Airport, connecting maritime shocks to wider supply chain impacts for a global business audience. Offering “a view from the water,” he explained how shipping, which carries over 80 percent of global trade, sits at the centre of today’s supply chain pressures.

He pointed to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that typically moves around 20 million barrels of oil per day, where traffic has sharply declined amid escalating risk. Alongside these operational disruptions, Capt. Raja highlighted the human cost facing seafarers operating in the Gulf and surrounding waters.

“Around 20,000 civilian seafarers — civilians — are currently operating in or near areas of elevated risk. These are our people, our colleagues, operating on a frontline they never signed up for.”

Disruptions ripple across Asia and beyond, as vessel diversions add weeks to voyages and create congestion across alternative trade routes. For example, rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope can add weeks and more than US$1 million per voyage.

“Shipping absorbs the shock first, but the cost flows through to manufacturers, retailers and ultimately consumers,”

Capt. Raja emphasised.  

Throughout the discussion, he reinforced that resilience in supply chains depends on safe and reliable shipping, and that avoidable risk to human life can never be an acceptable trade-off. The panel connected these maritime realities directly to boardroom priorities, highlighting shipping’s foundational role in global economic stability.

Leading the Conversation on Maritime Decarbonisation 

Capt. Raja also joined CEOs from across the maritime value chain at the UN Global Compact Oceans CEO Roundtable, where discussions focused on how the industry can reduce emissions while maintaining safe and reliable operations.

The high-level dialogue emphasised that decarbonisation is not solely about ambition or targets. Progress, participants agreed, will depend on collaboration across shipping, ports, energy, finance, cargo interests, classification societies and sustainability organisations.

Capt. Raja underscored that “the transition will be shaped less by declarations than by what can be financed, fuelled safely and operated reliably.” He highlighted the need for clear standards, workable regulation, access to finance, and above all properly training and supporting seafarers as new fuels and technologies are introduced.

Fleet Management’s active role in training and education will be central to preparing seafarers for multi-fuel and digital futures. Operational experience with dual-fuel vessels, combined with expertise across segments and fuel technologies, positions Fleet and its shipowner partners to avoid binary fuel bets and maintain resilience amid regulatory uncertainty.

By building bridges across industries and keeping people, safety and operational reality at the centre of decision-making, the maritime sector will continue to support the global movement of essential resources through an increasingly complex world.