The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Asian Business Case Centre embarked on a joint project to write a series of case studies on the maritime sector in Singapore. The objective of this project is to build a collection of case studies to expand understanding and scholarship of this important sector of Singapore's economy. These cases focus on some key players who have contributed to the development of Singapore as a global maritime and shipping centre.

MPA-ABCC cases are as follow:

A Tale of Two Shipyards – Strategies for Competing on the Edge
Wee Beng Geok & Ivy Buche

The two Singapore-based marine engineering groups were leaders in the global market for the construction of offshore drilling platforms and vessels. The last four decades had been characterised by high velocity and unpredictable changes. The ongoing challenge was to stay flexible, continually adapting their strategies and reinventing themselves to manage the disruptive changes in the business environment.



Financing Structures in the Shipping Industry: Singapore's Pacific Shipping Trust
Wee Beng Geok & Ivy Buche

Singapore's first shipping trust – Pacific Shipping Trust's (PST) initial public offering (IPO) launched in May 2006 presented an alternative source of funding for ship owners and operators. The case describes the challenges faced by PST Management in growing the trust – what steps could be taken to generate awareness about the role of shipping trusts and enhance investor confidence in PST as an attractive investment option?



The MV Petro Ranger Arbitration: A Post-Mortem Analysis
Tan Lay Hong, Wee Beng Geok & Ivy Buche

This case explores in depth the ship owner's defence of "frustration" and "excepted peril of arrest or restraint by public authority" under Section 4(2)(g), The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 1936 (US) as well as the pitfalls of arbitrating in a third country forum.



DBS Bank – Ship Financing Challenges in Asia
Wee Beng Geok, Thomas Gleave & Ivy Buche

As DBS moved from a Singapore centric focus to one anchored in Asia, increasing the depth and breadth of its banking network and services across the region; the ship financing team had to leverage on its resources and respond to the challenges in managing growing complexity in the internal organizational environment, as well as external competition in the increasingly specialized field of ship financing.




Pacific International Lines
Wee Beng Geok, Yang Li Shan & Ivy Buche

Pacific International Lines (Private) Limited (PIL), a privately-held, family-owned shipping firm had grown from a regional shipping company based in Singapore to become the 20th leading container shipping company in the world in 2005. However, a key challenge still remained – the ongoing battle to achieve sustainable growth in the highly competitive and dynamic industry of international shipping.



JTJB Advocates and Solicitors: Growing the International Client Base Through Competitive Positions
Wee Beng Geok & Shirley Tan

The case examines the strategies adopted by JTJB Advocates and Solicitors, a firm specialising in shipping law, to grow its practice by acquiring a greater share of the international market.




From Paper to Screen: Voyage towards Real-Time in Maritime Navigation – Singapore's Hydrographic Services
Wee Beng Geok, Chung Chee Kit & Yang Lishan

For Singapore's Hydrographic Sevices, Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) represented a major technological innovation that would change the nature of maritime navigation in the 21st century. Key challenges in implementation included training, engaging ship owners and increasing regional coverage.



IMC Pan Asia Alliance – Building Strategic Resilience Through Organisational Transformation
Wee Beng Geok, Chung Chee Kit & Yang Lishan

At IMC, a family owned bulk-shipping business, the fourth generation entrepreneur embarked on a strategic change from specialisation to integration of transport solutions. An effective change management process was critical for long term success of the company.



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