MPA Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, launched the “MPA Maritime Bus” at Canberra Secondary School, in conjunction with the Singapore Bicentennial. The travelling bus will present Singapore’s maritime past, present future in an immersive way.
The Maritime Bus target students between ages 7 and 16 years old, and the general public.
Through the smart travelling bus, MPA hopes to provide an insight to visitors on Singapore’s maritime heritage and highlight the contribution of the maritime industry and its workforce to Singapore’s economy.
- For the past: Visitors will see Singapore’s past as a trading post where goods such as silk, tea, porcelain and spices were traded and learn about significant contributions made by early settlers such as Hajjah Fatimah Sulaiman and Seah Eu Chin.
- For the present: visitors will learn about Maritime Singapore today, how container shipping disrupted the way goods are transported globally, and what building the first container port in Southeast Asia meant for Singapore as a transshipment hub. They can also experience life on board a container ship via a 360-degree video and play an interactive game on sorting containers.
- For the future: visitors will see Tuas Next-Generation Port (NGP), which will be fully operational by 2040s, takes centre stage.
The MPA Maritime Bus provides an immersive experience, to help us appreciate the past, understand the present and anticipate the future of Maritime Singapore. Along the way, we hope to inspire younger Singaporeans to join the exciting careers in the maritime industry.
.. commented Mr Khaw.
According to MPA Singapore, more than 80 visitors attended the launch of the event.
The MPA Maritime Bus, which is open to the public for free, will travel to schools and community spaces from 1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020. The bus will open from 8.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays except on Mondays and 11.00am to 8.00pm on weekends including public holidays. Please refer to MPA Facebook page for the latest bus schedule.