Singapore retains maritime city top spot

SINGAPORE : The DNV and Menon Economics Leading Maritime Cities report saw only one change in the top five with Oslo replacing Tokyo in fifth position.

The findings of the report were presented at a lunch event held by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) during the opening day of Singapore Maritime Week.

Singapore came out top, followed by Rotterdam, London, Shanghai, and Oslo.

The study benchmarks each maritime city on five pillars – Shipping Centers, Maritime Finance and Law, Maritime Technology, Ports and Logistics and Attractiveness and Competitiveness.

Singapore took the top spot in three out of the five pillars – retaining its position as leader in Attractiveness and Competitiveness and overtaking Athens and Shanghai in Shipping Centers and Ports and Logistics, respectively.

The Southeast Asian city state looks unlikely to relinquish its leading position any time soon. Dr Shahrin Osman, Business Development Director, Maritime Advisory and co-author of the report said: “Singapore is undoubtedly the world-leading hub at the forefront of the maritime industry. It appears unaffected by the many changes currently sweeping the sector and is expected to maintain its top spot for the next five years through its implementation of a consistent strategy for innovation and its investment into green transformation and digital technologies.”

Outside the top five there have been some more dramatic moves which were highlighted Dr Erik Jakobsen, Partner and Chair of Menon Economics. Hong Kong, which ranked 4th in 2019 has now dropped to 12th place. On the other hand Abu Dhabi has moved up 10 places to 22nd from 32nd previously.