Getting crew off vessels as scheduled is possible and must be done because this is the deal they signed up for, says Anglo-Eastern chief executive officer Bjorn Hojgaard. The pandemic has also shown up the attitudes of governments quite blatantly, he adds

Hong Kong is simply seen as a great place to do shipmanagement because of factors such as the fundamental commitment of the government to support shipping and shipmanagement. However, the shipbuilding sector is not expected to come out of the crisis doing as well, and the global consolidation process among shipyards will likely be accelerated

As many countries emerged from lockdowns and movement restrictions in the third quarter, volumes also rebounded. Various forms of curbs on movement have been reimposed in the fourth quarter. However, Westports expects a less adverse impact as societies and economies adjust to these latest measures

The current project is Keppel O&M’s 140th floating production storage and offloading vessel conversion project. Extra precautions are being put in place as the threat of coronavirus-related work issues remain a concern

There is not much Hong Kong can do to control its external environment and this will inevitably affect its fate as a small, open-trading economy. However, maritime industry leaders are optimistic the city can play to its strengths to prepare it for the future

In Asia, infrastructure must be put in place first before start-ups can be attracted, but this is not necessarily a bad thing as it could help to attract talent. Rainmaking hopes to use its participation in several Singapore schemes, as well as its recently launched maritime innovation advisory network Ocean Ventures Alliance, to fast-track the process