Nature and sustainability of the marine environment

Abstract

Singapore's marine environment continues to perform a highly significant but largely unacknowledged role in supporting the country's economic growth. Its strategic location and natural harbour assets were immediately recognized and capitalized on by its founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, in 1819. The waters were fully utilized for shipping since the country's early history allowing it to develop into one of the world's busiest ports today. The trend is likely to continue unabated with the Maritime and Port Authority's mission to develop and promote Singapore as a premier global hub port and an international maritime centre, and to safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. © 2008 Springer Netherlands.