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SINGAPORE – From Dec 1, the chairman of the National Parks Board, Mr Loh Khum Yean, will also serve as chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) board.<\/p>\n
In a media statement on Nov 17, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said that Mr Loh, 60, will replace Mr Niam Chiang Meng, who has been the board\u2019s chairman since Dec 16, 2016.<\/p>\n
Mr Loh has been deputy chairman of the MPA board since Feb 1.<\/p>\n
He had a career in the public sector that spanned more than three decades and previously served as the permanent secretary of the Public Service Division in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, as well as the permanent secretary for law, before his retirement on Oct 1, 2023.<\/p>\n
Mr Loh held other permanent secretary appointments before that, including a stint as permanent secretary for trade and industry, and had been chairman of the Civil Service College. He also sat on the board of several statutory boards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith his extensive experience, Mr Loh will help strengthen MPA\u2019s institutional capabilities and contribute to its work in advancing Singapore\u2019s position as a trusted hub port and international maritime centre,\u201d said MOT.<\/p>\n
Thanking Mr Niam for his service, the ministry said the 67-year-old has served on the MPA board for more than nine years, having first been appointed its deputy chairman on July 1, 2016.<\/p>\n
Under his tenure, MPA \u201cnavigated a period of rapid change marked by trade and geopolitical tensions, technological shifts and the Covid-19 pandemic\u201d, said MOT.<\/p>\n
When Mr Niam was at the helm, the Port of Singapore remained one of the world\u2019s busiest ports and among the top five ship registries globally, and has also been the leading bunkering hub, it added.<\/p>\n
He also consolidated Singapore\u2019s position as a leading international maritime centre, as well as advanced workforce development across the maritime sector by working with industry and union partners.<\/p>\n
Under Mr Niam\u2019s charge, Singapore in 2018 was elected for the first time into the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation Council \u2013 a global body that develops standards, recommendations and guidelines on marine aids to navigation, vessel traffic services and e-navigation.<\/p>\n
Singapore in February 2025 also <\/p>\n hosted the group\u2019s first general assembly<\/p>\n <\/a> since it became an intergovernmental organisation in August 2024.<\/p>\n