October 2007 - Keppel Corporation

eppel 

OCTOBER 2007 

www.kepcorp.com/ekeppelite 

Keppel Group Newsletter 

Keppelite 

Second landmark 

contract in Qatar 4 

Ocean Financial 

Centre unveiled 6 

A new world 

record 28 

Special focus: Keppel tops 

corporate governance 

MICA(P) NO. 047/11/2007 

Keppelite I October 2007

10 19 

36 

Contents 

BUSINESS 

Keppel wins second Qatar contract for $1.5b 4 

An Oceanic landmark 6 

Keppel Shipyard scores a double 8 

Solid first for Keppel Seghers in Australia 9 

P-53 heads for new home 10 

K-REIT Asia’s distributable income rises 34.8% 12 

Bold future for Audacia 13 

Partners in safety 14 

Building a formidable O&M industry 16 

SPC grows overseas upstream assets 17 

Engineering success 18 

Marina Bay Suites in haute demand 19 

Insights into Keppel yards 20 

On the safe side 21 

Special Focus 

Good governance tops 22 

TEAM 

Storming the seas 24 

Hats off to a memorable family day 28 

Custodians of safety 30 

Tianjin presence 33 

Core values in action 

Committed to growing talents 34 

Sweet victory 

Teeing off to another great year 35 

Winning strokes 

PEOPLE 

Appreciation of key asset 36 

Kin business sense 37 

Journey of discovery 38 

Keppelites Abroad 

Finding his beat in Brazil 39 

COMMUNITY 

Patron of the Arts 40 

Building tomorrow’s workforce 

Home-grown dynamics 41 

Green Initiatives 

Tote for green thoughts 42 

Olá Brazil 

Keppel Volunteers 

On Nature’s trail 43 

BACK PAGE 

Keppel Nantong clinches S$110m 44 

shipbuilding contracts 

eppel 

Published for people in the Keppel Group by the Group Corporate Communications Division, Keppel Corporation Limited, 1 HarbourFront Ave, #18-01 Keppel Bay Tower, 

Singapore 098632. Printed by Image Printers Pte Ltd, Blk 1002, Redhill Industrial Estate, Jalan Bukit Merah, #03-12, Singapore 159456. 

Editorial Advisor 

Wang Look Fung 

Editor 

Andrew Ong 

Editorial Committee 

Andrea Lee, Ang Lai Lee, Clara Ko, Diana Chan, Fatima Lay, Gayathri Prakash Nair, Grace Chia, Ivana Chua, Lai Siang Chin, Lee Yin Chiin, Low Hooi Hoon, Mak Chui Ling, Mohd Nor Nordin, 

Nicole Ma, Nicole Tan, Pamela Almeda, Phang Weng Onn, Quek Mong Song, Roy Tan, Sarah Seah, Serena Toh, Tan Geok Hong, Teo Chang Ching, Teri Liew, Woon Pek Yong 

Keppelite I October 2007 

CO REG NO: 196800351N

Editorial 

Commanding ground 

The familiar Ocean Building will soon make way 

for a new state-of-the-art Ocean Financial Centre 

(read story on page 6) which will be the fourth 

development on the same strategic site. 

As I read up on the history of Ocean Building and 

pored over black and white photographs dating 

back to the 1800s, I was amazed at how the 

Singapore skyline has transformed. And Ocean 

Building, at the centre of Singapore’s business and 

financial district, has been and is still a towering 

witness and participant to our nation’s continuous 

growth as a global city. 

It is a story which Keppel is well familiar – our story 

of growth too runs parallel to that of Singapore. 

In 1992, a report by the Economic Development 

Board read, “With the emergence of a global 

economy and enhancement of regional economic 

linkages, local companies like Keppel – will lead in 

the nation’s globalisation drive.” 

It is a statement we can still rightfully claim. 

Across Asia, Keppel Land is developing landmark 

properties and now its quality portfolio extends 

even to the Middle East. At home, the Group 

continually contributes to shaping and enhancing 

the Singapore skyline with iconic developments 

such as Marina Bay Financial Centre, Keppel Bay 

and now, Ocean Financial Centre. 

In offshore and marine, Keppel maintains 

leadership in the design and construction of 

powerful mammoth structures that can drill and 

produce oil in deep waters of 1,000 metres and 

harsh environments like those in the North Sea. 

As a major environmental technology provider, we 

have also sharpened our edge with proprietary 

technological leadership and a strong track record 

across the globe, including two contracts worth 

over S$1 billion each in a new market such as 

Qatar. 

But in business, even leaders must fight to keep 

ahead of the pack in a fast changing landscape. In 

today’s competitive scenario, where the rules of 

engagement are constantly shifting, responding 

quickly and strategically is essential to stay relevant. 

I have learnt that keeping our ears to the ground, 

leveraging and advancing know-how, a forwardlooking 

mindset and teamwork are but some of 

Keppel’s distinctive traits that have made and kept 

us leaders in our businesses. 

As clichéd as it may sound, the only way to meet 

or exceed customer needs is really to listen. We 

have learned to listen to and understand our 

customer. The other skill we have acquired is the 

ability to read the ground. These strengths have 

helped us to connect with and grow with our 

customers so that we not only meet, but exceed 

their expectations. 

Gleaning invaluable expertise and experience from 

our years of accumulated and collective know-how 

is our forte. We are relentless in our continual quest 

for excellence, not flinching as we pursue new 

growth initiatives and platforms. Our forwardthinking 

approach breeds a new generation of 

Keppelites who embrace change and are flexible, 

adaptable and open. 

We build on success. 

Rising from the same commanding location at the 

birthplace of Singapore’s economy, Ocean Financial 

Centre is not only taller but more efficient and 

‘greener’, befitting a Keppel development. 


4 Business 

Keppel wins second Qatar contract 

for $1.5b 

To be operational in 2010, the largest wastewater treatment and water reuse plant in Qatar and the Middle East will be designed and built by Keppel 

Keppel Seghers, a member 

of the Infrastructure division 

of Keppel Corporation, has 

been awarded a Design- 

Build-Operate contract 

amounting to about 

QR3.6 billion (approximately 

S$1.5 billion) from ASHGHAL, 

the Public Works Authority 

(PWA) in Qatar. 

The contract is to design and 

build the largest greenfield 

wastewater treatment and 

water reuse facility in Qatar 

and the Middle East, and 

subsequently operate and 

maintain this facility for 10 

years. 

Mr Chua Chee Wui, CEO of 

Keppel Seghers said, “Qatar, 

under the leadership of the 

Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin 

Khalifa Al Thani, has 

demonstrated great foresight 

in ensuring sustainable 

development by investing in 

environmental infrastructure 

to support their economic 

growth. Keppel is proud to 

work on the highly 

prestigious Doha North 

water project, the largest 


water reuse facility in Qatar 

and in the Middle East.” 

LANDMARK CONTRACT 

WON BY A SINGAPORE 

COMPANY 

Commenting on the award 

to Keppel, Dr Yaacob 

Ibrahim, Minister for the 

Environment and Water 

Resources of Singapore said, 

“This project secured by 

Keppel is one of the largest 

water projects that a 

Singaporean company has 

won in the international 

market. This project will also 

provide an additional avenue 

to deepen the strong and 

warm relationship which 

Singapore enjoys with Qatar. 


Business 5 

“The award of this contract 

to Keppel once again 

showcases the strong 

support and commitment of 

the Singapore Government 

towards Singapore’s vibrant 

and growing water 

industry, and in enabling 

companies like Keppel to 

bring Singapore’s proven 

water and environmental 

technology as well as 

technical and operational 

expertise to the highly 

competitive global 

marketplace.” 

PUB, the national water 

agency of Singapore, a 

statutory board under the 

Ministry of the Environment 

and Water Resources, is 

Keppel’s strategic partner in 

this project. PUB has 

extensive expertise and 

over 40 years of experience 

in water resources 

management. 

LARGEST WASTEWATER 

TREATMENT FACILITY 

The Doha North facility is 

expected to be operational in 

2010. With peak design 

capacity to treat wastewater 

of up to 439,000 cubic 

metres per day, this will be 

the largest wastewater 

treatment and reuse facility 

in Qatar, more than triple the 

capacity of the next largest 

wastewater treatment plant. 

The Doha North facility will 

serve a population of over 

900,000 when completed. 

The treated water will be 

recycled for irrigation needs. 

Keppel is proud to work on the highly prestigious 

Doha North water project, the largest wastewater 

treatment and water reuse facility in Qatar and in 

the Middle East. 

Mr Chua Chee Wui 

CEO of Keppel Seghers 

The sludge treatment plant 

in the Doha North facility will 

be the only sludge treatment 

plant in Qatar. It will receive 

and treat sludge from 

wastewater treatment plants 

all over Qatar. The treated 

sludge can be used as an 

organic fertiliser or as a 

supplementary green source 

of energy. 

With its forte in water and 

thermal recycling, Keppel is 

able to offer a complete 

ecologically-friendly design 

for the Doha North facility. 

Keppel applied in-house 

know-how and technology 

in water and thermal 

treatment processes, ranging 

from advanced biological 

water treatment processes to 

membrane filtration to 

produce high quality water 

for reuse, and thermal drying 

processes to treat the 

wastewater sludge. The 

Doha North facility will have 

advanced odour control 

systems to minimise its 

impact on the surrounding 

communities. 

“We are pleased that 

our innovative technology 

proposals for both the water 

and thermal treatment 

processes for this project 

were very highly rated by 

PWA. This helped us to stand 

out from the competition. 

Keppel will continue to invest 

in our R&D efforts to further 

strengthen our leadership 

position in water and thermal 

recycling technologies. 

“We are also very grateful 

to Sheikh Abdullah bin 

Ahmed Al-Thani of the 

General Trading Group 

(GTG), for introducing 

Keppel to the Qatari 

market,” added Mr Chua. 

Within the Middle East and 

Mahgreb region, Keppel has 

delivered more than 30 

water treatment projects. It 

recently secured two 


water reuse projects in 

Algeria. Globally, Keppel has 

more than 400 reference 

water treatment projects. 

DOMESTIC SOLID WASTE 

MANAGEMENT CENTRE 

(DSWMC) 

Awarded late-2006, the first 

environmental engineering 

project awarded to the 

Group in Qatar was to design 

and build integrated solid 

waste management facilities 

and to operate and maintain 

the main facility for 20 years. 

The integrated solid waste 

management project is 

currently in its design and 

early construction phases. 

The majority of the major 

procurement contracts have 

been awarded. 

Early works construction 

packages have already 

commenced. A 6 km access 

road to the site and major 

excavations for the refuse 

bunkers are completed while 

the bulk earthworks to create 

various platform levels are in 

progress. Construction for 

the Workers Accommodation 

Compound to house 1000 

workers is also in progress. 

The project is on schedule to 

operational by end 2009. 

keppelite 


6 Business 

An Oceanic landmark 

The 43-storey Ocean Financial Centre will be state-of-the-art in green and 

environmentally-friendly features. 

Keppel Land further 

strengthens its sterling 

portfolio of Grade A office 

developments with about 

850,000 sq ft of prime office 

space in Ocean Financial 

Centre (OFC). 

To be completed in 2011, the 

43-storey OFC will be stateof-the-art, 

not only in terms 

of premium finishes and 

fittings but also in innovativegreen 

and environmentallyfriendly 

features such as the 

largest solar panel system 

and the first hybrid chilled 

water system in Singapore. 

The new name and design of 

the development were 

unveiled by Mr Lim Chee 

Onn, Executive Chairman of 

Keppel Corporation and 

Chairman of Keppel Land in 

a special ceremony held at 

the Reflections at Keppel Bay 

Show Gallery, witnessed by 

some 200 guests from the 

business community on 

8 October 2007. 

OFC is designed by worldrenowned 

architectural firm, 

Pelli Clarke Pelli, whose 

portfolio of landmark 

commercial developments 

includes the World Financial 

Centre in Beijing, Two 

International Finance Centre 

in Hong Kong, the Mori 

Tower at Atago Green Hills 

in Tokyo and Petronas Towers 

in Kuala Lumpur. 

Located at the gateway between the CBD and the New Downtown, Ocean Financial Centre commands its position as the Singapore landmark in the business district 


Business 7 

Mr Kevin Wong, MD of 

Keppel Land said, “Ocean 

Financial Centre, with its 

commanding location in 

Raffles Place and the New 

Downtown, will continue to 

be the preferred business 

address of major financial 

institutions and multinational 

corporations. 

“In the Raffles Place area, it 

presents one of the largest 

floor plates – ranging from 

19,000 sq ft to 23,000 sq ft 

which provides greater 

flexibility to these tenants for 

their operational needs. 

“We are encouraged by the 

positive interest we have 

received from prospective 

tenants and will continue to 

build on the long and 

meaningful relationships 

with our previous tenants.” 

Unveiling Ocean Financial Centre was Mr Lim Chee Onn (right), Executive Chairman of Keppel Corporation and Chairman of Keppel Land. 

Also at the ceremony were Mr Kevin Wong, MD of Keppel Land (second from left) and Mr Tan Swee Yiow, Director of Singapore (Commercial), 

Keppel Land (extreme left) 

On OFC’s design, Mr Cesar 

Pelli, Senior Principal of 

Pelli Clarke Pelli, said, “The 

design is iconic and 

enduring, with a soaring 

form that recalls the 

maritime heritage of the site. 

We are applying technology 

in a poetic manner, to create 

a memorable landmark in 

the skyline of Singapore. 

“The design is also 

environmentally sustainable. 

The development will include 

a landscaped public plaza 

covered by a glass roof 

canopy and surrounded by 

extensive green walls, leafy 

roof terraces and a sky garden 

forming a crowning gesture. 

The development will be a 

beautiful and memorable 

addition to the skyline of 

Singapore; it will also be a 

wonderful addition to the 

public space of the city.” 

OFC will be among the first 

commercial buildings whose 

design and planning have 

adopted the lighting and 

art incentives initiative by 

the Urban Redevelopment 

Authority in the business and 

financial district. 

It will be the fourth building 

to rise at the same site 

following redevelopment. 

The first Ocean Building was 

built in 1864. The adjacent 

Ocean Towers will remain 

operational while OFC is 

being redeveloped. keppelite 

Growing with Singapore 

Ocean Building has occupied the same site since the 

first building was completed more than 140 years ago 

in 1864. It was a Singapore landmark from the first. 

Almost 60 years later, the second building took form in 

1923 and was one of Singapore’s tallest skyscrapers 

then. The third Ocean Building was completed in 1974. 

Now, more than 30 years later, Keppel Land is again 

redeveloping the building, each time at the watershed 

of Singapore’s economic transformation. When 

completed in 2011, Ocean Financial Centre will be 

the fourth building to rise on the same site. 


8 Business 

Keppel Shipyard scores a double 

Keppel Shipyard, a whollyowned 

subsidiary of Keppel 

Offshore & Marine (Keppel 

O&M), has been awarded 

two conversion contracts 

from repeat customers, 

worth a total of 

S$100 million. One is by 

Prosafe Production (Prosafe) 

and the other by Shipping 

Logistics Incorporated, for a 

long term charter to Perenco 

S.A. (Perenco). 

The first contract, awarded 

by Prosafe is for the 

conversion of a 101,832 dwt 

double-sided tanker, MT 

Kudam, into a Floating 

Production Storage and 

Offloading (FPSO) facility. 

Subic Shipyard & Engineering 

Inc (SSEI), an associate of 

Keppel Shipyard, will carry 

out the first phase of this 

FPSO conversion. This 

includes the demolition, 

refurbishment and 

preparation of the topside 

installation for the FPSO 

conversion in the Philippines. 

Keppel Shipyard will 

undertake the integration of 

the topside modules and the 

completion of the conversion 

work in Singapore. Work on 

the vessel is expected to be 

completed by late 2008. 

Mr Nelson Yeo, ED of Keppel 

Shipyard, said, “Prosafe has 

entrusted us exclusively to 

carry out the conversion of 

all their FPSO and FSO 

systems in the last 10 years. 

To date, the company has 

awarded us 10 such projects. 

“Our partnership with 

Prosafe is characterised by 

open communication, 

teamwork, flexibility and 

mutual understanding. 

We will support Prosafe in 

their efforts to meet the 

requirements of the offshore 

industry.” 

The FPSO, with an oil storage 

capacity of 700,000 barrels 

and production capability of 

63,000 barrels of oil per day 

will be leased to Apache by 

Prosafe for use on the Theo- 

Van Gogh deepwater oilfield 

off Western Australia. 

The second contract is for 

a Floating Storage and 

Offloading (FSO) conversion 

for repeat customer, Perenco. 

A 138,105 dwt tanker is to 

be converted into a FSO unit 

to be named FSO Kalamu. 

FSO Kalamu will have a 

storage capability of about 

1.045 million barrels of oil 

upon its completion in 

1Q2008 and will be moored 

off the coast of the 

Democratic Republic of 

Congo. 

Keppel Shipyard’s capability in the conversion of FPSO/FSO vessels is recognised by owners and operators. Seen here is the FPSO Umuroa, which 

was delivered to Prosafe earlier this year 

Perenco had recently 

awarded Keppel O&M two 

contracts. One for the 

conversion of the FSO Fernan 

Vaz and the second for the 

construction of a Mobile 

Offshore Application Barge 

(MOAB). keppelite 


Business 9 

Solid first for Keppel Seghers 

in Australia 

With its continuous foray into new frontiers, Keppel Seghers plants its 

technological footprint in a new market. 

Keppel Seghers, the 

environmental technology 

division of Keppel Integrated 

Engineering (KIE), has 

secured its first contract in 

Australia to provide its 

technology and services to 

the Plenary Environment 

consortium. 

Plenary Environment is 

constructing a thermal 

drying biosolids facility for 

Barwon Water, one of the 

largest water corporations in 

the state of Victoria in 

Australia. 

The AU$76 million new 

thermal drying facility will 

process the region’s 54,000 

tonnes of biosolids produced 

each year, providing a 

sustainable biosolids 

management solution for 

Barwon Water. 

The biosolids will be 

processed to “T1” grade to 

maximise the potential for 

sustainable beneficial use, as 

a fossil fuel replacement or 

fertiliser. 

Keppel Seghers will provide 

a two-line thermal drying/ 

pelletising installation to the 

plant. Each line consists of a 

coater, a hardpelletizer, a 

pellets recirculation system, 

and a pellets cooling unit. 

The thermal drying facility 

being delivered by the 

Plenary Environment 

consortium is to be located 

next to Barwon Water’s Black 

Rock water reclamation plant 

and will be completed in 

2009. 

It is planned that the 

biosolids will be used as 

fertiliser or as green fuel 

(fossil fuel replacement). 

Mr Chua Chee Wui, CEO 

of KIE, said, “Sustainable 

biosolids treatment solutions 

are receiving increasing 

attention worldwide due to 

declining availability of 

traditional treatment 

methods, as well as better 

technology to safely harness 

the nutrient and energy value 

of biosolids. 

“Keppel Seghers’ thermal 

treatment technologies have 

been successfully applied in 

Europe and North America. 

We are proud that our 

proven treatment technology 

will now be applied towards 

the sustainable management 

of biosolids in the state of 

Victoria.” 

Keppel Seghers’ drying/ 

pelletising technology is 

based on the PEARL 

PROCESS TM which creates 

dry pellets from biosolids 

that are pathogen-free, easily 

handled, shipped and can be 

stored for longer periods. 

Plenary Environment carried 

out tests on a Keppel Seghers 

pilot thermal drying plant 

for a six-week period that 

yielded very positive results, 

giving the consortium strong 

evidence of the performance 

reliability of the technology. 

Through its wholly-owned 

subsidiary Keppel Prince 

Engineering, KIE has been 

operating in the state of 

Victoria for over 30 years. 

keppelite 

Keppel Seghers’ thermal treatment technologies have 

been successfully applied in Europe and North America. 

We are proud that our proven treatment technology will 

now be applied towards the sustainable management of 

biosolids in the state of Victoria. 

Mr Chua Chee Wui 

CEO of KIE 


10 Business 

P-53 heads for new home 

After two years, two months 

and two days, the Floating 

Production Unit (FPU) P-53, 

left Keppel Shipyard for its 

final project phase in Brazil. 

Keppel Shipyard had secured 

the contract from Charter 

Development Limited 

Liability Company (CDC) in 

June 2005 to carry out 

the hull conversion and 

fabrication of what is to 

be the world’s largest turret. 

In July 2007, the FPU facility 

was towed to the CDC 

topside contractor yard in 

Rio Grande, Brazil, for 

installation and integration 

of the topside modules 

which were built in Niteroi 

and Singapore. Upon 

completion, Petrobras SA will 

charter the P-53 from CDC 

for the Marlim Leste field in 

the Campos Basin. 

Keppel Shipyard 

commissioned the shipboard 

systems prior to its sail-off. 

Keppel Offshore & Marine 

(Keppel O&M) has 

undertaken several significant 

offshore projects, directly and 

indirectly, for Petrobras. With 

the delivery of the FPU P-52 

in June this year, Keppel 

O&M’s projects for Petrobras 

would have contributed 

at production capacity, 

1.17 million barrels of oil per 

day (bopd). This represents 

65% of Brazil’s present 

production rate of 1.8 million 

bopd. 

The P-53 project has also 

won the Keppel Shipyard 

team the Safety and Health 

Award Recognition for 

Projects (SHARP) awarded by 

the Ministry of Manpower. 

The award is given out to 

projects or worksites that 

have good safety and 

health performance and 

workplace safety and health 

management systems. 

Keppel Shipyard achieved 

more than seven million 

manhours worked without 

any lost time incidents on this 

project. 

TEAM SPIRIT 

The P-53 project is an 

amalgamation of excellent 

project management, with 

tight execution and 

remarkable teamwork 

between Keppel Shipyard, 

Petrobras and the CDC. Here 

are what the key site project 

team members have to say: 

Mr Reginaldo Sarcinelli Filho, 

Hull Conversion Site 

Manager of Petrobras/CDC 

“I had previously worked 

with Keppel FELS on the 

P-52 and my experiences 

with Keppel Shipyard are not 

Unparalleled partnership between Petrobras and Keppel. From left, Mr Louis Chow, GM (Commercial) of Keppel Shipyard, Mr Jorge Luiz Zelada, GM of Petrobras for services, Mr Duque, Director 

of Petrobras, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman & CEO of Keppel O&M and Mr Abu Bakar, GM (Operations) of Keppel Shipyard 


Business 11 

any different – Keppelites 

work very hard and they have 

great capacity to mobilise 

resources and people. 

“We overcame the 

challenges of procurement 

and engineering issues 

resulting in greater 

teamwork and synergy 

between the project teams. 

“I could see great 

commitment from all 

workers, from managers to 

supervisors to workers. 

Everyone is focused on 

achieving the target, which 

is very important for us, as 

we know we can count on 

them. I am certain the P-53 

will be a stunning FPU. 

learned a lot of them and 

formed strong relationships 

over the two years.” 

Mr Jayaraman AV, 

Project Manager, 


“This is the best team put 

together. There was a 

strong bond in the team and 

we had the full support of 

our management, especially 

from our Project Director, 

Mr Louis Chow. We never 

gave up at any one point in 

time.” 

Mr Terry Wong, 

Project Manager, 


“We have highly committed 

team members behind 

this project and we are 

united with our Petrobras 

counterparts in completing 

our mission on-time and 

safely. 

“We engaged our contractors 

constantly to ensure project 

execution is smooth and the 

workplace is safe for all our 

workers onboard.” 

Mr Simon Nedumaran, 

Senior Shipwright Foreman, 


“This project is special 

because we involved all our 

contractors in the safety 

aspects of the work from the 

safety briefings to the area 

walks. 

“Supervising more than 400 

men on the project is no mean 

feat. Because of the size and 

scope of work, I had to take 

even greater steps to ensure 

safety at the workplace.” keppelite 

“Congratulations to all of 

you at Keppel for an 

excellent job. Keppel has 

been a good partner of 

Petrobras and will be for a 

long time. It was an excellent 

partnership and we are very 

satisfied with the P-53 

project.” 

Mr Gersen Salles Verlangieri, 

Turret Construction 

Manager, Petrobras/CDC 

“We had to work on so many 

fine details and the most 

challenging was the logistical 

aspects as space was a 

concern, for example, where 

to build each section or 

module. Much coordination 

work between the different 

trades was also required. 

“The P-53 project has been 

a very successful project, we 

enjoyed pleasant experience 

working with Keppel. We 

P-53 arrives at Rio Grande 

FAST FACTS ABOUT P-53 

Capacity 

Internal turret 

Deployment 

Electricity generated 

Water depth 

Accommodation 

Accolades 

Processing capacity of up to 180,000 bopd; 

Gas compression capability of 6 million m 3 /day; 

Water injection capability of 39,000 m 3 /day 

75 risers, more than 2,200 valves, 36m in diameter, 73m in height 

Marlim Leste field, Campos Basin, offshore Brazil 

92MW 

1,080 m 

240 persons 

Safety and Health Awards Recognition for Project (SHARP) 

presented by Ministry of Manpower Singapore 


12 Business 

K-REIT Asia’s distributable income 

rises 34.8% 

With consistent improvement in performance, K-REIT Asia posts positive growth 

in net profit and distributable income. 

For the first nine months of 

2007, K-REIT Asia achieved 

a distributable income of 

$14.9 million, up 34.8% 

from the same period in 

2006. 

Backed by higher occupancy 

and rental rates, rental 

income was higher at 

$28.3 million. This in turn 

pushed up property income 

by 17.7% year-on-year to 

reach $29 million. 

Distribution per unit (DPU) 

continued to improve with 

the rise in net property 

income and distributable 

income. DPU increased by 

4.2% from 2.14 cents in 

2Q2007 to 2.23 cents in 

3Q2007. For the first nine 

months of 2007, DPU 

amounted to 6.14 cents and 

8.21 cents on an annualised 

basis. 

Net profit increased to 

$11.8 million, outperforming 

the same period last year 

by 46.6%. Committed 

occupancy for K-REIT Asia’s 

portfolio remains strong at 

99.6% as of 30 September 

2007. 

POSITIVE RENTAL 

REVISION TREND TO 

CONTINUE 

Demand for prime office 

space is expected to remain 

strong with continued 

economic growth, sound 

business prospects and 

further expansion of the 

financial services sector. 

As such, prime office rents 

are expected to increase 

further, especially when new 

office supply in the central 

business district (CBD) 

remains scarce over the next 

two to three years. 

ACTUAL ACTUAL PRO FORMA 1 + / (-) 

3Q 2007 YTD SEPT YTD SEPT 

2007 2007 

$’000 $’000 $’000 % 

Property Income 10,323 29,041 24,676 17.7 

Net Property Income 7,493 21,238 17,411 22.0 

Net Profit 4,163 11,770 8,028 46.6 

Distributable Income to 5,411 14,892 11,051 34.8 

Unitholders 2 

Distribution Per Unit (cents) 

For the Period 2.23 6.14 n.a. 3 n.a. 

Annualised 8.85 8.21 n.a. 3 n.a. 

Notes: 

(1) K-REIT Asia was established on 28 November 2005 and the acquisition of the properties was completed on 26 April 2006. As K-REIT Asia 

has no income and expenses for period prior to 26 April 2006, the comparative figures have been compiled based on (i) the unaudited 

financial statements of Mansfield Realty Limited, Keppel Land (Tower D) Pte Ltd and BCH Office Investment Pte Ltd for the period of 

1 January 2006 to 25 April 2006 after making certain assumptions and adjustments; and (ii) the actual results of K-REIT Asia from 26 April 

2006 to 30 September 2006. 

(2) The distributable income to unitholders is based on 100% of the taxable income available for distribution to unitholders. 

(3) K-REIT Asia’s actual DPU for the period of 26 April 2006 to 30 September 2006 was 2.87 cents per unit, equivalent to an annualised 

6.63 cents per unit. 


Business 13 

The buoyant prime office 

market will continue to 

augur well for K-REIT Asia, 

given its portfolio of quality 

office buildings in the central 

business district and the new 

downturn at Marina Bay 

following the acquisition of 

the one-third stake in One 

Raffles Quay. 

With about 70% of the 

portfolio’s net lettable area 

due for renewal between 

2008 and 2010, K-REIT Asia 

is in a good position to ride 

on the rising rental market, 

underpinned by strong 

underlying demand and tight 

supply. keppelite 

Execution of growth strategy with 

maiden acquisition 

K-REIT Asia received the 

vote of support from 

Unitholders for its proposal 

to acquire a one-third 

interest in One Raffles 

Quay (ORQ) from Keppel 

Land for $941.5 million, 

at an Extraordinary 

General Meeting held on 


The strategic acquisition 

will more than double 

K-REIT Asia’s portfolio size 

to $1.76 billion and will 

further strengthen its 

position as a premier officefocused 

commercial REIT in 

Singapore. K-REIT Asia’s total 

attributable net lettable area 

will increase by 57% to 

1.23 million sf. 

In addition, yield accretion 

from the acquisition of the 

ORQ stake will benefit 

Unitholders with a higher 

distribution payout. 

K-REIT Asia will continue to 

actively seek acquisitions of 

prime commercial properties 

in Singapore and other Asian 

growth cities to further grow 

its portfolio size to a targeted 

$2 billion. 

K-REIT Asia will also identify 

possible asset enhancement 

initiatives to add value and 

achieve better returns for its 

existing properties. 

Bold future for Audacia 

Audacia boldly set off from 

Keppel Verolme on 

25 September 2007, another 

testament to the shipyard’s 

track record of successfully 

undertaken projects. 

In a previous life, Audacia 

was the Panamax bulk carrier 

Geeview which arrived at 

Keppel Velrome in December 

2005. It was then converted 

into a 225 metre-long 

pipelay vessel and was 

christened on 8 May 2007. 

It is now a dynamically 

positioned facility capable of 

operating in water depths of 

up to 3,000 metres. 

said, “Allseas decided to 

build Audacia in the spring 

of 2005 but the design of the 

vessel was not yet complete. 

This prevented the possibility 

of a lump sum contract to a 

shipyard. We had to find a 

shipyard that would enter a 

reimbursable conversion 

contract where the work 

could be done under shared 

management.” 

Keppel Verolme’s extensive 

experience in conversions 

complemented by its strong 

project management skills 

provided the solution for 

Allseas. 

Audacia conversion was a 

challenging project for all of 

us but by integrating the 

talent and skill of the Allseas 

and Keppel Verolme teams 

into a combined ‘Audacia 

project team’, the vessel 

could be built and designed 

in parallel.” keppelite 

Mr Edward Heerema, 

President and owner of 

Allseas Group S.A. (Allseas) 

Thom Jaspers, Project 

Manager from Keppel 

Verolme shared, “The 

Audacia adds to Keppel Verolme’s track record 


14 Business 

Partners in safety 

The road to an incident-free 

workplace is arduous, and it 

takes those with resolve to 

stay focused and committed 

to walk the talk. 

In the past 12 years, Keppel 

Shipyard has reduced its 

Accident Frequency Rate by 

more than 83% from 8.06 in 

1995 to 1.34 in 2006, and 

has consistently maintained 

below industry levels since 

2000. To date, the rate is 

0.20 accidents per million 

manhours worked. 

These figures are the 

outcome of greater 

awareness, accountability, 

commitment, management 

leadership as well as long 

term collaboration with 

stakeholders. 

In 2002, Keppel Shipyard 

partnered valued customers 

Single Buoy Moorings (SBM) 

and Esso Exploration Angola 

(Block 15) Limited, a 

subsidiary of Exxon Mobil 

Corporation (ExxonMobil) to 

helm its resident safety 

steering committee. 

The three partners devoted 

themselves rigorously to 

transform practices and 

mindsets, and to create a 

strong culture of safety in the 

workforce. 

“Our partners and us will 

spare no effort to make our 

yards incident-free. We want 

to imbue a strong safety 

culture in all our employees 

Close collaboration between Keppel Shipyard, SBM and ExxonMobil yielded an outstanding safety record of more than 5,000,000 manhours 

without LTI on the conversion of FPSO Mondo, the third successful conversion for the three partners 

such that it becomes second 

nature,” said Mr Nelson Yeo, 

Keppel Shipyard’s ED. 

Their efforts saw the launch 

of the Safety Plus Programme 

(Safety Plus) that year, with 

a series of initiatives to raise 

awareness, communicate, 

educate as well as instill 

safety habits in more than 

14,000 people working in 

and visiting the yards. 

“ExxonMobil strives to 

enhance the safety process 

and culture such that it 

results in long term benefit 

to Keppel,” said Mr Mike 

Flynn, VP – Deepwater, 

ExxonMobil Development 

Company. 

“Our involvement has 

centered on two key 

elements – helping Keppel’s 

management team 

communicate and 

demonstrate its commitment 

to safety and helping the 

organisation develop a 

culture that is focused on the 

ongoing stewardship of 

safety results,” he said. 

“Effective leadership, 

especially from senior 

management convinces 

workers that safety is a core 

value and is never to be 

compromised.” 

The joint initiatives focus 

on mentoring and coaching, 

developing safety leaders, 

empowering employees 

and providing positive 

reinforcements, as well as 

in the use of leading safety 

indicators to assess risks. 

Of this extensive partnership, 

Mr Yeo said, “I am very glad 

that SBM and ExxonMobil 

are represented on our 

Safety Steering Committee. 

Regardless of whether the 

yard activities are related to 

them, they have committed 

themselves personally to 

share their expertise and 

to support us in our pursuit 

of the ultimate goal of 

an incident-free work 

environment.” 

With the support of 

like-minded partners SBM 

and ExxonMobil, Keppel 

Shipyard’s unwavering 

pledge to safety has 

benefited its customers and 

stakeholders widely with ontime, 

on-budget deliveries 

and good safety records. 

“I would like to thank our 

committee members, in 


Business 15 

particular, Ken Larson of 

ExxonMobil and Chris 

Davison of SBM who have 

touched all of us, 

management and staff alike, 

with their passion, sincerity 

and support of safety. This 

has been very encouraging 

for us at Keppel Shipyard 

and we hope that more 

organisations like SBM and 

ExxonMobil will join us to 

further our safety goals.” 

said Mr Yeo. 

The Keppel Group has also 

established a Board Safety 

Committee at headquarters 

to foster and sustain a firstworld 

safety culture across its 

business units. 

Through this relentless 

pursuit of a safe workplace, 

Keppel strives not only to be 

a world-class leader in project 

execution but also in safety. 

FPSO MONDO 

ACHIEVEMENT: 

5 MILLION MANHOURS 

WITHOUT LTI 

The close collaboration 

between Keppel Shipyard, 

SBM and its customer, 

ExxonMobil has yielded an 

outstanding safety record 

of more than 5,000,000 

manhours without lost 

time incident (LTI) on the 

conversion of Floating 

Production, Storage and 

Offloading (FPSO) Mondo. 

Delivered on 19 September 

2007, FPSO Mondo is the 

third successful conversion 

between Keppel and SBM, 

for ExxonMobil. It will be 

deployed in Mondo Field, 

The safety leadership demonstrated by Keppel, SBM and ExxonMobil has consistently maintained Keppel Shipyard’s accident frequency below 

the industry level since 2001 

Block 15 offshore Angola 

for the Kizomba C 

Development. 

Safety leadership was a 

key focus of the initiatives 

employed during the 

conversion of FPSO Mondo. 

Safety consultants were 

engaged to coach 

management and 

supervisors in effective 

observation and intervention 

skills, so as to instill safe work 

behaviours among the 

workforce in everyday 

processes. 

The safety leadership training 

and coaching also involved 

subcontractors, who have 

since formed their own 

Health, Safety & Environment 

(HSE) Watch Groups to 

augment Keppel Shipyard’s 

efforts. 

Mr Ken Larson, Kizomba C 

Project Manager for 

ExxonMobil, and active 

member of Keppel Shipyard’s 

Safety Steering Committee 

said, “I want to emphasise 

that I will consider FPSO 

Mondo a successful project 

only if the workers are safe. 

“At ExxonMobil, we work to 

be a leader in safety. On 

Kizomba C and here at 

Keppel, we are working 

towards a goal of nobody 

gets hurt. To accomplish this 

goal, we need everyone to 

focus on doing their job safely 

so that they do not put others 

and themselves at risk.” 

To date, Keppel Shipyard 

has a strong track record 

of more than 70 FPSO and 

FSO conversion and repair 

projects. These projects 

include eight highly 

successful conversion 

projects for SBM since 2000. 

The ninth conversion project 

FPSO Saxi, chartered by 

ExxonMobil, is scheduled for 

delivery in early 2008. keppelite 

(From left) Mr Nelson Yeo, ED of Keppel Shipyard, Mr Chris Davison, SBM Project Manager, 

Mr Ken Larson, Kizomba C Project Manager for ExxonMobil and Mr Abu Bakar, GM 

(Operations) of Keppel Shipyard 


16 Business 

Building a formidable O&M industry 

Mr Tong Chong Heong, MD & COO of Keppel O&M, shares about Keppel’s global network 

with Minister Raymond Lim 

Mr Choo (second from left) shares the FPU P-52’s capabilities with foreign delegates at the 

Latin Asia Business Forum networking reception 

Technology development 

and innovation are key fuels 

spurring the growth of the 

offshore and marine industry 

in Singapore. 

In line with Keppel Offshore 

& Marine’s (Keppel O&M) 

continuous drive to promote 

innovation and learning, 

Keppel FELS and Keppel FELS 

Cranes supported the 2nd 

International Maritime and 

Port Technology and 

Development Conference 

(MTEC) 2007 on 26-28 

September and showcased 

their products and services. 

Organised by the Maritime 

Port Authority of Singapore 

(MPA), the conference served 

as a platform for the 

exchange of ideas and 

springboard for joint 

collaborations in maritime 

research and technology 

development. 

Mr Raymond Lim, Minister 

for Transport and Second 

Minister for Foreign Affairs, 

shared at the conference, 

“Technology is critically 

important to the maritime 

industry... and it can give a 

valuable competitive edge to 

the company that invests in 

it well.” 

Keppel Singmarine also 

supported the 2nd 

International Conference on 

Offshore Support Vessels 

(OSVs), held on 24-25 

September at the National 

University of Singapore. 

The Conference discussed 

the innovative and 

challenging technologies 

needed, as well as efficient 

and economic operation of 

OSVs. 

FOSTERING FRIENDSHIPS 

FOR GROWTH 

The Latin Asia Business 

Forum brings together some 

of the most successful 

business leaders from Latin 

America and Asia to 

highlight new opportunities 

for partnership in trade and 

investments, and to share 

market experiences, insights 

and expertise. 

Mr Choo Chiau Beng, 

Chairman & CEO of Keppel 

O&M, who headed the 

Advisory Board Committee 

for the Latin Asia Business 

Forum 2007, said, 

“Currently, we have more 

than 60 companies in 21 

locations in Latin America. 

Indeed, in 2005, Singapore 

was the second largest 

foreign direct investor from 

the Asia Pacific region, after 

Japan, in both Mexico and 

Brazil.” Mr Choo is also the 

Singapore’s Non-Resident 

Ambassador to Brazil. 

The Keppel Group hosted 

some 200 foreign delegates, 

partners and friends at the 

event, which was graced 

by Dr Balaji Sadasivan, 

Singapore’s Minister-of- 

State for Foreign Affairs, 

ambassadors and high-level 

representatives from the 

Latin American and Asian 

Embassies. Keppel has 

participated in the forum of 

three years running. keppelite 


Business 17 

SPC grows overseas upstream assets 

There is potential for further 

exploration to be carried out 

in the blocks, which will 

expire in 2024 and 2026 

respectively. The PSCs are 

located in the shallow 

waters of Bohai Bay, 190 km 

west of Beijing and cover 

an area of approximately 

3,080 sq km. 

SPC’s wholly-owned 

subsidiary, SPC Cambodia 

Ltd (SPC Cambodia), and its 

partners have also completed 

their acquisition of a 

combined 10% interest in 

Block B exploration block in 

Cambodia, further to an 

announcement on 5 January 

2007. This follows approvals 

by the Cambodian National 

Petroleum Authority. 

SPC’s largest producing asset, Bohai will add 4300 bopd, bringing SPC’s total current oil and gas production to over 11,000 barrels of oil 

equivalent per day 

Singapore Petroleum 

Company (SPC) is boosting 

its presence in regional 

markets with successful 

acquisitions made in China 

and Cambodia. 

SPC has completed its 

US$223 million (about 

S$334.5 million) Bohai Bay 

acquisition (Bohai). 

Bohai is now SPC’s largest 

producing asset. It is also its 

second asset in China and its 

eighth exploration and 

production asset. 

The Bohai acquisition is 

aligned with SPC’s long-term 

strategy to grow its business 

through upstream activities, 

and to tap the vast potential 

of China, both as a major oil 

and gas producing region, 

and as a key market. 

SPC’s share of the current 

Bohai production is 4,300 

barrels of oil per day, bringing 

its total current oil and gas 

production to over 11,000 

barrels of oil equivalent per 

day. 

The Bohai acquisition 

comprises two Production 

Sharing Contracts (PSC) which 

have six producing oilfields. 

SPC’s interests in the PSCs are 

18% in Block 04/36 and 23% 

in Block 05/36 (respectively 

8.91% and 7.82% net 

interest in the six producing 

fields in these two blocks). 

The additional 10% interest 

was acquired from CE 

Cambodia B Ltd, a whollyowned 

subsidiary of Cooper 

Energy Limited. With its 

completion, SPC Cambodia 

and its two partners, PTTEP 

International Limited and 

Resourceful Petroleum 

Limited, each has one-third 

share in Block B. 

Block B is located 250 km off 

the coast of Cambodia to the 

east of the Thai-Cambodian 

Overlapping Claims Area, in 

the Gulf of Thailand. Block B 

lies to the southeast of the 

Khmer basin where a 

number of oil and gas 

discoveries have been made. 

keppelite 


18 Business 

Engineering success 

For its contribution towards 

the development of Singapore 

into an International Maritime 

Centre (IMC), Keppel Offshore 

& Marine (Keppel O&M) was 

lauded at the Singapore 

International Maritime Awards 

2007. 

Keppel O&M was conferred 

the ‘Offshore & Marine 

Engineering Award 2007’ 

for its distinguished 

contributions in innovation, 

safety and environmental 

protection, as well as 

operational success and 

efficiency. 

Keppel O&M‘s senior management receives the inaugural Offshore & Marine Engineering Award 2007 

This accolade was introduced 

for the first time together 

with the ‘Maritime Service 

Provider Award’ in 

acknowledgement of the 

growing importance of these 

two sectors to Singapore’s 

maritime industry. 

Receiving the award, 



O&M, shared, “We are 

pleased that our contributions 

to the industry are 

recognised. We seek to play 

our part in developing 

Singapore into an 

international maritime centre. 

“Keppel O&M aims to be a 

preferred solutions provider 

in its selected business 

segments such as the design 

and construction of rigs, 

shiprepair and conversion, 

specialised shipbuilding and 

oil field development.” 

Attended by more than 800 

business and industry 

leaders, the Singapore 

International Maritime 

Awards dinner on 

25 September 2007 was 

graced by Mr Raymond Lim, 

Minister for Transport and 

Second Minister for Foreign 

Affairs. 

In his address, Minister Lim 

underscored the growing 

significance of contributions 

by the maritime industry 

to Singapore, “Singapore 

is now home to more 

than 5,000 maritime 

establishments, employing 

about 100,000 people, and 

contributing some 7% to 

our GDP. Our offshore 

and marine engineering 

sector continues to lead the 

world in rigbuilding, ship 

conversion and other 

important niches.” 

He also raised the issue of 

meeting the talent crunch, 

saying, “Meeting manpower 

needs requires sustained 

effort. It is a marathon effort 

that cannot be completed in 

just a few years and the 

government will be running 

alongside you to the finish 

line.” 

Mr Chee Jin Kiong, 

ED (Human Resources) of 

Keppel O&M, said, “We 

need a new generation of 

talents and skilled workforce 

to succeed the current corps 

of industry stalwarts. We will 

remain committed to the 

areas of talent attraction, 

retention and management 

as well as training and 

development. 

“In 2006, Keppel O&M’s 

investment in training 

and development was 

S$17 million. In Singapore 

alone, it invested a total of 

S$11 million to equip its 

people for better work 

performance, as compared 

with S$3.6 million in 2005.” 

The annual Singapore 

International Maritime 

Awards, which comprises 

seven award categories, is 

organised by the Maritime 

and Port Authority of 

Singapore. keppelite 


Business 19 

Marina Bay Suites in haute demand 

Aspiring homeowners who 

seek an urban oasis in the 

much-coveted live-work-play 

destination of the Marina Bay 

Financial Centre (MBFC) have 

lots to cheer about when the 

Marina Bay Suites is launched 

in early-2008. 

“Marina Bay Suites will be 

a fitting, if not more 

upscale, sister development 

to the 428-unit Marina Bay 

Residences which sold out in 

just three days in December 

last year, affirming strong 

confidence in the MBFC,” 

said Mr Kan Kum Wah, Head 

of Residential Marketing for 

MBFC. 

“With its proximity to a 

variety of lifestyle options 

within the MBFC, Marina Bay 

Sands, Esplanade Theatres 

on the Bay, Gardens by the 

Bay and even Grand Prix 

racing, the new downtown 

is taking shape as Singapore’s 

most glamorous business 

and entertainment district.” 

“The Marina Bay Suites 

presents the last opportunity 

to buy luxury residences 

within this world-class 

development.” 

Marina Bay Suites presents the last 

opportunity to buy luxury residences 

within this world-class development. 

Mr Kan Kum Wah 

Head of Residential Marketing 

for the Marina Bay Financial Centre 

The Marina Bay Suites will 

offer just 223 luxuriouslyspecified 

three- and fourbedroom 

apartments 

ranging from 1,500 sq ft to 

2,500 sq ft. With private lift 

lobbies, the typical floor plate 

has only four apartments, 

while the solitary single-level 

penthouse and two duplex 

penthouses in the complex 

each boast their own 

swimming pool. 

Outdoor and entertaining 

areas at the podium level of 

the Marina Bay Suites will 

offer residents semi-outdoor 

spa lounges and a 50-metre 

lap pool. Sky Lounges offer 

Sky Cabanas, yoga and 

massage terraces set amid 

earthy natural materials and 

water features. 

The distinctive design of 

Marina Bay Suites reflects the 

hand of New York-based 

architects Kohn Pederson Fox 

(KPF). KPF has meticulously 

master-planned the 

development to create the 

ultimate live-work-play 

environment at MBFC for 

50,000 urbanites expected 

to work in the precinct when 

it is completed in 2012. 

Following strong interest 

from buyers last year when 

almost 40% of the Marina 

Bay Residences were sold to 

international buyers, the joint 

venture comprising Cheung 

Kong (Holdings)/Hutchison 

Whampoa, Hongkong Land 

and Keppel Land, has been 

showcasing MBFC and 

promoting Marina Bay at key 

regional events such as 

luxury property shows in 

Hong Kong, Shanghai and 

Dubai. 

“We are experiencing keen 

appetite from investors 

confident in Singapore and 

interested in the live-workplay 

destination of Marina 

Bay. We anticipate strong 

international interest when 

we commence marketing of 

Marina Bay Suites early next 

year,” Mr Kan said. 

In the heart of Singapore’s most glamorous live-work-play destination, Marina Bay Suites will command strong international interest when 

launched in early-2008 

Mr Kan who was at the 

recent Cityscape Dubai 

property conference from 

16 to 18 October 2007 said 

that while the Middle East 

presence in the Singapore 

property market had so far 

been led by institutions, the 

conditions are now right for 

the emergence of a new 

wave of individual buyers. 

keppelite 


20 Business 

Insights into Keppel yards 

DISTINGUISHED 

DELEGATES 

The Governor of the Mexican 

State of Tamaulipas, 

Mr Eugenio Hernández 

Flores, led a delegation from 

Mexico on his visit to Keppel 

O&M on 25 September 

2007. They were here as part 

of the State Governor’s Asia 

tour and were invited by 

Keppel O&M Chairman & 

CEO, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, 

to visit the yards. 

On a separate occasion, 

Brazil’s Deputy Minister for 

Development, Industry and 

Foreign Trade, Mr Ivan 

Ramalho, led an official 

delegation on a visit to the 

Keppel O&M yards on 


Received by Mr Choo and 

Mr Tong Chong Heong, MD 

& COO of Keppel O&M, the 

delegation was keen to 

explore greater opportunities 

of investments and trades 

between the two regions. 

Mr Choo who is also 

Singapore’s Non-Resident 

Ambassador to Brazil, 

shared that Singapore and 

Brazil’s economies are 

complementary. While 

Singapore offers worldclass 

infrastructure and logistic 

networks, as well as extensive 

Enjoying a fruitful discussion are (left to right) Mr Rolando González Barrón, President of Industrias Gobar Systems, Mr Eugenio Hernández Flores, 

Governor of the State of Tamaulipas, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Mr Tong Chong Heong, and Mr Juan José Gómez Camacho, Mexican Ambassador 

connectivity with the 

region, Brazil has plenty of 

resources to offer. There is 

therefore much potential for 

the two regions to work 

together. 

FUND MANAGERS 

Mr Choo, together with CFO 

Mr Sit Peng Sang, spent the 

morning of 12 October 2007 

in lively discussion with a 

delegation of overseas 

analysts and fund managers. 

During the exchange of 

opinions, management 

shared the importance of a 

yard’s track record to execute 

and deliver vessels on time 

especially in current market 

conditions. 

When queried on the option 

of spending more capital 

expenditure to expand 

capacity and possibly shorten 

lead times, management 

highlighted that the Keppel 

Group exercises financial 

discipline and is prudent with 

shareholders’ money. keppelite 

Lynette Goh, Assistant Marketing Manager of Keppel FELS, explains the organisation of the 

Keppel FELS yard which facilitates the construction of several vessels at the same time. 


Business 21 

On the safe side 

The Keppel Offshore & 

Marine group’s continuous 

efforts to eliminate 

workplace risks and hazards 

have earned it a number of 

accolades at this year’s 

national Workplace Safety 

and Health (WSH) Awards. 

These awards were garnered 

through its business units, 

Keppel FELS, Keppel Shipyard 

and Keppel Singmarine. 

In the category of Safety 

and Health Awards 

Recognition for Project 

(SHARP), Keppel FELS and 

Keppel Shipyard each 

received acknowledgment 

for the Maersk Jackup B273 

project and the Petrobras 

Floating Production Unit 

(FPU) P-53 project 

respectively. This new 

category recognises projects 

achieving a sterling safety 

record for more than one 

million manhours without 

lost time incident. 

Keppel Shipyard also 

attained Gold award for the 

WSH Innovation Award 

category for its invention – 

the cable roller. The gadget 

helps to eliminate hazards 

such as the risk of falling 

from high places or causing 

objects to fall when 

deploying or removing 

power cables both onboard 

vessel and in workshops. It 

also eliminated back injuries 

resulting from lifting of the 

cables which can weigh 

between 200kg and 500kg. 

For its good safety and 

health performance and 

WSH management systems, 

Keppel Singmarine won 

Silver for the WSH 

Performance Award. 

Organised annually by the 

WSH Advisory Committee, 

in collaboration with 

Singapore’s Ministry of 

Manpower, the event gives 

recognition to companies 

that have performed well in 

safety and health through 

the implementation of 

sound safety and health 

management systems. Dr Ng 

Eng Hen, Minister for 

Manpower and Second 

Minister for Defence, graced 

the event. 

AVIAN FLU READY 

The seemingly distant threat 

of an Avian flu outbreak in 

Singapore may not weigh 

heavily on most people’s dayto-day 

activities, but at 

Keppel, making adequate 

preparation for unexpected 

emergencies of this nature 

through regular drills is part 

of business continuity 

management plans. 

Keppel workers leaving their 

Penjuru dormitory for work 

on 21 September 2007 

were approached with 

thermometers and face 

masks. The drill was intended 

to familiarise workers with 

the needful actions during an 

outbreak. 

Together with subcontractors, 

they faced the 

same scenario again entering 

the Keppel FELS yard at 

Shipyard Crescent. But they 

were not surprised as they 

had undergone the testing 

for the Avian Flu previously 

at Keppel’s other shipyards 

and dormitories. 

With the drills at Crescent 

yard and Penjuru dormitory, 

Keppel O&M has now 

prepared all its major yards 

and dormitories in Singapore 

in the event of a real flu 

pandemic outbreak. keppelite 

A safe and healthy workplace involves everyone’s commitment from management to workers 


22 Special Focus 

Good governance tops 

Keppel Corporation’s 

embrace of good corporate 

governance has won it 

further accolades. 

The company secured top 

honours for corporate 

governance and transparency 

at the Securities Investors 

Association’s (SIAS) 8th 

Investors’ Choice Awards 

on 4 October 2007. 

It came in tops for the 

Singapore Corporate 

Governance Award. 

Companies in the running 

for this award were judged 

on their corporate governance 

practices. Firms that went 

beyond the Singapore Code of 

Corporate Governance or 

which adopted practices in line 

with the best international 

practices were accorded 

Keppel Corporation, Keppel Land and Singapore Petroleum Company have been lauded for their commitment to good corporate governance and transparency. 


23 

higher ratings by the SIAS’ 

selection committee. 

Apart from this, Keppel 

Corporation was lauded the 

Most Transparent Company 

in the Multi-Industry/ 

Conglomerates sector. 

For the second year running, 

Keppel Corporation bagged 

the grand Golden Circle 

Award which recognises 

companies that are 

transparent across all 

categories. 

In an interview with SIAS on 

the factors that helped 

Keppel Corporation secure 

the Singapore Corporate 

Governance award, 

Executive Chairman Lim 

Chee Onn highlighted, 

“There are two important 

points that I ought to make 

in this regard. The first is we 

don’t believe that neither 

corporate governance nor 

transparency is a destination 

in itself. 

“To achieve good corporate 


to us is a continuous process. 

It is as if you are making a 

continuous journey with no 

destination. 

“I don’t believe there is a 

destination mark for corporate 

governance or transparency. 

We know the direction and 

we head for it ceaselessly. That 

is the philosophy we abide 

by and contribute to and 

we will continue with that 

effort. 

I don’t believe there is a destination mark for corporate 

governance or transparency. We know the direction and we 

head for it ceaselessly. That is the philosophy we abide by 

and contribute to and we will continue with that effort. 

Mr Lim Chee Onn 

Executive Chairman 

Keppel Corporation 

Keppel Corporation 

Keppel Land 

Singapore Petroleum 

Company 

He went on, “The second 

point important for all to 

recognise is that there is 

a difference between 

substance and form. 

“I think quite often people 

confuse one with the other. 

To be able to abide by the 

description of some code of 

conduct is one thing. To 

actually carry out the spirit of 

that code is something else. 

To us, that is also a very fine 

distinction. We always try to 

not just abide by the form, 

but also the spirit and 

substance.” 

On his views on how Keppel 

Corporation has been able to 

achieve such consistent 

success in transparency, 

Mr Lim explained, “It is a 

continuous journey, so in 

• Golden Circle Award 

• 1st – Singapore Corporate Governance Award 

• Winner – Most Transparent Company (Multi- 

Industry/Conglomerates) 

• Runner-up – Most Transparent Company (Properties) 

• 3rd – Singapore Corporate Governance Award 

• Runner-up – Most Transparent Company Award 

(Non-Electronics Manufacturing) 

that sense we don’t let up on 

our efforts. I must also hasten 

to add that we are not 

chasing something that is so 

elusive that we can’t tell 

where we are. But at the 

same time, we are not 

motivated by any commercial 

or monetary awards. 

“We do it because we 

realise it is the best for all 

stakeholders, shareholders, 

our staff, our suppliers 

and our contractors. That 

process is a win-win for 

everyone. In continuous 

pursuit of that objective I 

suppose, we meet the 

criteria for good corporate 


all the time.” 

The journeys taken by 

Keppel Land and Singapore 

Petroleum Company on the 

corporate governance route 

as well as strive for greater 

transparency were also 

recognised. 

Keppel Land bagged the 

runner-up position for the 


under the Properties 

category. Singapore 

Petroleum Company came 

in third for the Singapore 

Corporate Governance 

Award. The integrated oil 

and gas company also 

walked away with the 

runner-up accolade for the 


Award for the Non- 

Electronics Manufacturing 

category. keppelite 


24 Team 

Storming the seas 

Crew of Uniquely Singapore samba in Salvador as they secured a credible seventh 

place in the second race of leg one ending in Brazil. 

Uniquely Singapore crossed 

the finish line at 2258 GMT 

on 18 October (758 am on 

19 October in Singapore) in 

seventh place at the end of 

Race 2 of the Clipper Round 

the World Yacht Race 07-08, 

from La Rochelle to Salvador, 

Brazil. 

The team arrived at the 

Terminal Maritimo da Bahia 

where crowds of well wishers 

including 07-08 race crew 

lined the pontoon to 

welcome them in after their 

4,200-mile race across the 

Atlantic. 

“We’ve had some highs and 

lows and some particularly 

tough times during this race,” 

said Mark Preedy, skipper of 

Uniquely Singapore, the 

yacht sponsored by Keppel 

Corporation. 

“The crew coped really well 

in the face of adversity and 

we’ve bonded really well as 

a team. We were actually 

quite sad to arrive in Salvador 

tonight because we’ve had 

such a good time,” he 

added. 

The crew of Uniquely 

Singapore was racing for 

26 days across the Atlantic 

and was greeted by fireworks 

and local iced caipirinha 

cocktails and slices of juicy 

watermelon when they 

arrived in Salvador. 

The fleet’s arrival marks a 

long-standing association 

between Salvador and the 

Clipper Race with the 

Brazilian city playing host to 

the fleet since the first 

Clipper Race twelve years 

ago. 

However, the race to 

Salvador was a frustrating 

one at times for Mark and his 

crew, including in the early 

days out of La Rochelle 

when they were becalmed 

between the Canary Islands. 

“We used this race to work 

on the team’s skills and we’ve 

spent a lot of time working 

on helming, sail trim and 

honing our evolutions,” 

explained Mark. 

Keppel Ambassador and 

round-the-world crew 

member, Hizam Haiyon, said, 

“It was a great experience, 

as everyone gave 110 percent 

to try to win the race. Our 

skipper has been great and 

we’ve enjoyed every minute.” 

Mr Joff Bailey, Race Director 

said, “Uniquely Singapore 

was hampered by sail 

damage in this race and 

that demonstrates how 

important it is to take the 

A spinnaker wrap spoilt the day but not the spirits of Uniquely Singapore crew determined to 

weather the elements the best they could 

POSITIONS FOR RACE 2 

OVERALL TEAM POINTS 

1 Durban 2010 and Beyond 13 

2 Glasgow: Scotland with style 13 

3 Nova Scotia 11.5 

4 Liverpool 08 11.5 

5 Hull & Humber 11 

6 westernaustralia2011.com 6 

7 Uniquely Singapore 6 

8 Qingdao 5.5 

9 New York 3.6 

10 Jamaica 1.5 


Onboard Uniquely Singapore Team 25 

long term view rather than 

early gains in such a 

marathon race around the 

world.” 

Uniquely Singapore 

experienced spinnaker 

trouble on the afternoon of 

6 October, when its kite 

became tightly wrapped 

around the inner forestay. 

The crew had to remove the 

forestay to unwind the sail, 

rather than cutting it down, 

and caused them to lose a 

few miles to the chasing 

pair of New York and Jamaica. 

The crew of Uniquely 

Singapore spent the next 

couple of days cleaning and 

Continues on page 26... 

High spirits amongst Uniquely Singapore crew upon arriving in Salvador after 26 days of non-stop racing 

Highlights of Race 2 – La Rochelle to Salvador 

• 26 SEP 

Even in the early days of 

Race 2 which started on 

23 September, it became 

apparent that several of 

the yachts had damaged 

their equipment and sails 

as they have encountered 

strong northerly winds 

down the coast. 

• 29 SEP 

Approaching the island of 

Madeira in the middle of 

their, race positions began 

to pull apart as skippers 

and crews took crucial 

tactical decisions based 

on weather forecasts, 

resulting in a division in 

the fleet as they decided 

which tack to take to make 

best use of the wind. 

• 2 OCT 

A week since racestart in La 

Rochelle, the crew were 

getting on with daily life 

onboard, a routine of eating, 

sleeping and working. Apart 

from sailing the boats, the 

crew worked hard to keep all 

systems and sails in top 

condition with routine 

maintenance and repairs. So 

generators and water makers 

were serviced, spinnakers 

and chafe on lines repaired 

and the list went on. 

• 7 OCT 

As the fleet approached the 

Equator, shifts and squalls 

brought dramatic changes in 

wind conditions, sometimes 

dropping to nothing at all 

and at other times blowing 

with great speed and varying 

direction. The teams had to 

adjust quickly to their 

unpredictability. 

• 14 OCT 

Uniquely Singapore crossed 

the Equator at 1000 am, 

ahead of Qingdao, New York 

and Jamaica. 

• 17 OCT 

With the podium positions 

settled and the top three 

boats, Durban 2010 and 

Beyond, Glasgow: Scotland 

with style and Nova Scotia 

all moored up in Salvador, 

the battle on the water 

remained intense as each 

boat aimed to get the 

maximum points left up 

for grabs to ensure a 

higher position on the 

overall leader board. All of 

the remaining boats chose 

the shorter inshore route 

to Salvador. Despite 

reducing their distance to 

the finish, that particular 

route ran the increased 

risk of fickle winds. 

• 18 OCT 

Uniquely Singapore is 

seventh! 


26 Team 

...continued from page 25. 

working on the boat before 

having some time off to 

explore the city of Salvador. 

ANOTHER KEPPEL 

AMBASSADOR JOINS 

THE RACE 

Full of excitement and 

enthusiasm, one man 

waited eagerly at the 

Terminal Martimo da Bahia 

for Uniquely Singapore, 

arriving in Salvador earlier 

than most for crew changeover. 

That man is Koh Kok Siong, 

Senior Engineer from Keppel 

Seghers. All cheers and hugs 

for the crew onboard the 

little red boat, which he will 

call home for the next three 

weeks, Kok Siong could not 

wait to get onboard and refamiliarise 

himself with 

the halyards, clutches and 

sails. 

Kok Siong shared before 

departing for Salvador, 

“I look forward to rejoining 

the team and celebrating 

with them the completion of 

leg 1. I’ve followed their 

progress closely and now 

I am very excited to be able 

to contribute and be a part 

of the team as we strive to 

do even better for leg 2. 

“I am also looking forward 

to seeing how Hizam is doing 

after leg 1! He is a great pal 

and I am proud to work 

alongside him as we sail 

Uniquely Singapore to 

Durban.” 

True strength and grit belie 

the slenderly-built 30-yearold. 

Kok Siong won hearts 

and respect from fellow team 

members during his training 

in July when he volunteered 

to assist in the removal of an 

entangled spinnaker by 

climbing up the mast. 

A consistent performer and 

competitive marathon 

runner, Kok Siong will be a 

welcome addition to the 

6 more races to go gives Uniquely Singapore plenty of opportunities to close ranks with the leading pack 


Onboard Uniquely Singapore Team 27 

team with his fiercely positive 

attitude towards challenges, 

trials and tribulations. 

On 24 October 2007, the 

fleet would depart from 

Salvador for Race 3 to 

Durban during which the 

Keppel Ambassadors, 

together with the crew, will 

be faced with the testing 

waters and weather of the 

South Atlantic. 

FRIENDS OF THE WORLD 

During the almost week-long 

stopover in Salvador, Hizam 

took the opportunity to 

revisit old friends and 

colleagues at Keppel FELS 

Brasil’s BrasFELS yard in 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Welcomed warmly as a 

member of the big Keppel 

family, Hizam was glad that 

working for a multi-national 

conglomerate like Keppel 

meant that he could find 

trustworthy friends and faces 

almost all over the world. 

But with Keppel’s operations 

in more than 30 countries 

now, it will take more than 

just a round-the-world race 

on Uniquely Singapore for 

Hizam to visit all of Keppel’s 

businesses globally! 

The Assistant Section 

Manager (Engineering) from 

Keppel FELS shared with 

great enthusiasm the tiring 

and testing days onboard the 

yacht on his first leg, as well 

as the camaraderie that has 

alloyed his loyalty and 

commitment to the 

Singapore team. 

From a close crash at the hull 

with the bow of another 

boat, to the flying fishes 

that unceremoniously 

smacked the crew around a 

little in the unsuspecting 

darkness of the nights, and 

to the attack of lethal 

weapons in the galley from 

flying knives to scalding tea, 

Hizam captured all attention 

and imagination as he shared 

his exciting adventures. 

One down, six races to go. 

Looking forward to the 

next challenge on leg two 

from Salvador to Durban, 

Hizam has certainly learnt 

invaluable lessons and 

formed attachments to his 

fellow team mates. 

He said, “The next few 

months, life would be a 

series of lessons with no time 

to practise. Experience is the 

name we gave to our 

mistakes. 

“Our community of 17 has 

grown into a close-knit team 

and we totally concentrated 

all our physical and mental 

efforts on the race to give 

Uniquely Singapore a great 

big push forward.” 

A low point of the race for 

Hizam was when he suffered 

backaches that he developed 

after waking from his bunk 

in an awkward position. The 

crew sat down to think of a 

solution for his back problem 

– from heat rubs to 

painkillers and a transfer 

from the top bunk to the 

hospital bunk. 

But with a touch of the Can 

Do! spirit, a dash of selfinduced 

humour and an 

abundance of positive 

thoughts and good 

company, Hizam recovered in 

no time and resumed deck 

duties, pushing boundaries 

of his mind over body. 

With fellow Keppelite Koh 

Kok Siong onboard, the 

Keppel duo will certainly 

have lots more stories to 

regale us – keep up with their 

adventures and crew blogs at 

www.channelnewsasia.com/ 

keppelclipper. keppelite 

Valued team player Hizam makes it his personal goal to give best to team performance with 

a Can Do! spirit 


28 Team 

Hats off to a memorable family day 

A record-breaking chain 

of helmets hit home 

the safety message for 

Keppelites at this year’s 


(Keppel O&M) Family Day. 

Leveraging the event and in 

celebration of the group’s 

fifth anniversary, Keppel 

O&M attempted to attain a 

Guinness World Record and 

the Singapore Book of 

Records by creating the 

longest unbroken chain of 

safety helmets, utilising 

18,000 helmets which 

stretched 5.8 km. 

It took Keppel staff, 

partners, customers and 

sub-contractors two days 

to construct the chain. The 

helmets were innovatively 

hung on a wall to form 

the backs of gazebos. The 

safety message, “Safety 

first! Our Yard, Our Home” 

was emblazoned on the 

wall of helmets. 



O&M said, “The helmet is 

one of the most important 

personal protection gears 

and we recognise it as the 

icon for safety. The safety 

helmets used for our record 

attempt appropriately 

illustrate our commitment to 

safety, at work and at play.” 

Keppel O&M places a strong 

emphasis on safety. In 2006, 

the company invested a total 

of nearly $10 million on 

safety equipment, education 

and promotion, as well as on 

initiatives that enhance 

safety at the workplace. 

Amongst these programmes 

are the Health, Safety and 

Environment campaigns and 

the Safety Leadership 

Programme. Keppel O&M 

also conducts programmes 

for sub-contractors like the 

Safety Induction Programme, 

Fire Watchman Training and 

Gas Meter Operations. 

Keppel’s dedication to safety 

is evidenced by the formation 

of the Board Safety 

Committee by Keppel 

Corporation to augment the 

Groups’ efforts to create a 

safety culture. It is the only 

company in Singapore that 

has a safety committee at 

board level. This is in addition 

to the individual safety 

Sharing a golden moment, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman & CEO OF Keppel O&M presents Dr Ng Eng Hen (left), Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Defence, a gift to top off 

the occasion 


Team 29 

18,000 safety helmets across a 5.8 km chain establishes a new world record 

steering committees run by 

the shipyards. 

Held at the Siloso Beach, 

Sentosa on 21 October 

2007, the groundbreaking 

event was graced by Dr Ng 

Eng Hen, Minister for 

Manpower and Second 

Minister for Defence. 

“The safety culture must 

permeate every level – from 

management down to the 

last worker,” Dr Ng said. 

“We need to actively spread 

this message to all staff 

through various initiatives, 

including today’s attempt to 

build the longest chain of 

safety helmets and set a new 

record in the Guinness World 

Records. I am delighted to 

join you for this feat.” 

In the months leading up to 

the family day, the organising 

committee, led by Keppel 

O&M Group Human 

Resources division, raised 

S$500,000 for four 

charitable organisations. 

They are the Association 

for Persons with Special 

Needs, the Metta Welfare 

Association, the Singapore 

Association for the Visually 

Handicapped and the 

Singapore Corporation of 

Rehabilitative Enterprises. 

Apart from the recordbreaking 

attempt, Keppelites 

were treated to eight dishes 

from countries which 

Keppel O&M operates in. 

Throughout the day, 

performances were also put 

up for entertainment. Some 

of these were efforts of 

fellow Keppelites, including 

Keppel O&M’s very own 

musical. The event 

culminated with the singing 

of the Keppel O&M song led 

by Guest-of-Honour Dr Ng 

and the senior management 

of Keppel O&M. keppelite 

Bullish times and colourful days, adults and children find fun in their own ways 


30 Team 

Custodians of safety 

Champions of safety at Keppel Shipyard share their experiences in promoting a 

strong Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE) culture. 

ROAD LESS TRAVELLED 

“Others follow the formula, 

we think out of the box to 

create a safety culture.” 

For many graduates, the 

alluring suits and a 

glamorous CBD address are 

dreams come true. Not for 

24-year-old Belinda Pang, 

who traded all that for a 

boiler suit and the shipyard. 

Holding an Environmental 

Engineering degree from 

the National University of 

Singapore, Belinda is one of 

the growing crop of bright 

maidens with the guts and 

gumption to challenge the 

norms for their dreams. 

“I wanted something 

unconventional and 

challenging,” said the HSE 

Officer. 

Her key responsibility is to 

support the HSE Manager in 

promoting and building a 

strong safety culture at 

Keppel Shipyard. She 

implements safety systems 

and promotional programmes 

for the 14,000-strong 

workforce across three yards. 

“My greatest satisfaction is 

seeing the workers become 

more aware of their safety 

Maiden with mettle – Belinda Pang, HSE Officer 

Others follow the formula, we think out of the box to 

create a safety culture. 

Belinda Pang 

HSE Officer, Keppel Shipyard 

and willingly embrace the 

safety measures,” she said. 

She is currently pursuing 

a masters degree in 

occupational safety, which 

includes managing safety 

behavioural issues at the 

workplace. 

She bashfully shares, “I am 

glad Keppel responded to my 

thirst for knowledge with 

their willingness to provide 

me with the necessary 

developmental training to 

become an effective safety 

champion. I hope to see 

more ladies joining us and 

taking up this challenge.” 


Team 31 

Others work in silos, our team effort 

defines safety excellence. 

Tan Li Xiong 

Senior HSE Officer, Keppel Shipyard 

Safety savvy – Tan Li Xiong, Senior HSE Officer 

people as the job is not 

about getting people to 

follow regulations and 

implementing systems. It is 

about protecting the lives 

of individuals and groups at 

the workplace.” 

He finds it gratifying to 

show care and concern for 

workers, and receiving their 

appreciation for taking care 

of their safety. He is also 

grateful to work in a 

company where the 

management walks the talk 

on safety. 

“Someone with the passion 

for people and who wants to 

make a difference in the lives 

of others.” 

LIVING HIS DREAM 

“Others strive for a perfect 

score, our target is zero 

incident every day.” 

Creating a safe place for 

all. That is Rajalingam s/o 

Kanasalingam’s ambition. 

Better known as Raja to his 

colleagues, this ex-Singapore 

Civil Defence Force officer 

PASSION FOR PEOPLE 

“Others work in silos, our 

team effort defines safety 

excellence.” 

“Safety is about completing 

a project with zero incidents 

and seeing your workers go 

home safely every day,” said 

Senior HSE Officer Tan Li 

Xiong. 

His main task is to protect the 

health and safety of the 

workforce by ensuring high 

levels of safety compliance 

and enforcing best safety 

practices at his workplace. 

Armed with a Diploma in 

Shipbuilding and Offshore 

Engineering from Ngee Ann 

Polytechnic, LX, as he is 

known affectionately, joined 

Keppel Shipyard in mid- 

2004. 

His calling as a safety officer 

came early. He said, “I had 

the opportunity to undergo 

a safety officer training 

module in school, and I knew 

that’s exactly what I wanted 

to do. 

“To be a champion in safety, 

you must have passion for 

On what makes a good 

safety leader, he shared, 

Continues on page 32... 

Others strive for a perfect score, our 

target is zero incident every day. 

Rajalingam s/o Kanasalingam 

HSE Officer, Keppel Shipyard 

Pride in preparedness – Rajalingam s/o Kanasalingam, HSE Officer 


32 Team 

...continued from page 31. 

continues to live his dream at 

Keppel Shipyard, where he 

heads the emergency 

response team. 

Today, this 30-year old 

energetic young man takes 

pride in leading his team as 

well as equipping them with 

emergency preparedness 

skills. 

He explained, “With greater 

emphasis on safety in the 

marine industry, a safety 

officer’s job is more holistic 

compared to many years 

ago. It is not about rules 

and regulations, but 

commitment, ownership and 

passion towards ensuring 

a safe workplace. This is 

achievable only when 

everyone in the organisation 

share the same commitment 

of striving for HSE excellence.” 

In doing so, Raja also sees 

himself having a more 

positive outlook in life. He 

said, “I feel a great sense of 

satisfaction knowing that I 

play a part in seeing workers 

return home safely to their 

families and loved ones.” 

GROWING BEYOND 

“Others finish the job, we go 

the extra mile to finish it 

safely.” 

Seventeen years and still 

going stronger. LTC (NS) Abu 

Bakar joined Keppel in 1990 

as a Safety Officer. Today, he 

is GM (Operations) in Keppel 

Shipyard (Tuas). 

“There is always this 

perception that when work 

in the safety division, you 

focus only on safety and 

nothing else, but that is not 

true. I decided to move to 

operations because I knew 

my experience in the safety 

division wiould come in 

handy because safety 

matters at all levels, even in 

operations,” Bakar said. 

And how does he ensure that 

14,000 workers in the 

shipyard return home safely 

every day? 

He said, “Get buy-in, not 

just from our employees, 

but from the different 

stakeholders, including our 

customers, subcontractors 

and union leaders. 

“We want everyone to 

realise that safety is not just 

the responsibility of those 

who enforce it and that 

safety culture is at its 

strongest when everyone 

takes ownership of it.” 

He added, “Human capital is 

integral to the success of 

Keppel Shipyard, so all 

measures are taken to ensure 

the safety of our people at 

all times. keppelite 

Others finish 

the job, 

we go 

the extra 

mile to 

finish it safely. 

Abu Bakar 

GM (Operations), 

Keppel Shipyard (Tuas) 

Abu Bakar, GM (Operations) of Keppel Shipyard (Tuas) sets his sights on keeping Keppel Shipyard a safe place for all 


Team 33 

Tianjin presence 

With an established 

presence of over 20 years in 

20 cities across China, 

Keppel continues to invest 

confidence and resources in 

the country’s future. 

As part of its long-term 

strategy to strengthen its 

presence in China’s secondtier 

cities, Keppel Corporation 

recently set up its 

Representative Office in 

Tianjin. 

Tianjin is an autonomous city 

– alongside Beijing, 

Shanghai, and Chongqing – 

and the manufacturing 

heartland of northern 

China. Over the past decade, 

the city has experienced 

significant growth as 

multinational companies set 

up base in the Tianjin 

Economic Development Area 

(TEDA). 

The establishment of TEDA 

has prompted great interest 

in the Chinese city, now 

known to be one of the 

country’s most sought-after 

investment environments. Its 

prime geographic location, 

vast expanses of land and 

considerable investments 

in infrastructure have 

combined to push sustained 

economic growth. keppelite 

Samantha Ren (extreme left), Corporate Services Manager, is the latest addition to the team at Keppel Corporation’s Tianjin Representative Office 

Core values in action 

Following the highly 

successful teambuilding 

workshop conducted for its 

Mumbai engineering office, 


Group’s HR unit took the 

workshop to the Keppel FELS 

Engineering Shenzhen office 

in China. 

For the first time, the same 

workshop was conducted 

entirely in Mandarin on 27 

and 28 August 2007, over 

three half-day sessions for 

the over 100 Chinese 

employees. 

Participants benefited with a 

deeper understanding of 

their colleagues and their 

own motivators, natural 

strengths and areas for 

potential growth. This is part 

of the aims of the workshop 

to facilitate self-development 

and teambuilding. 

They also had a chance to 

translate the company’s core 

values of teamwork, a Can 

Do! attitude, integrity, 

innovation and learning into 

actions through activities 

planned for them. 

“The various exercises 

enabled us to appreciate the 

different personalities and 

styles at work as well as in 

our personal lives. It helped 

us to remain mindful of 

each other’s strengths and 

Thumbs up to team-building success! 

flaws and improve the way 

I communicate with my 

colleagues,” shared designer, 

Fan Wen Shuai. keppelite 


34 Team 

Committed to 

growing talents 

Sweet victory 

As a committed people 

developer, Keppel Offshore 

& Marine (Keppel O&M), in 

partnership w i t h t h e 

N a n y a n g Technological 

University (NTU) recently 

launched the 8-day General 

Management Programme 

(GMP) 

on 

28 September 2007. 

By adopting a two pronged 

approach, the objective of 

the programme is to create 

effective managers by 

equipping managers with 

the essential functional 

knowledge to collaborate 

effectively with others during 

different functions, and to 

help managers develop key 

cognitive and behavioral 

competencies. 

Addressing the participants 

at a luncheon the next day, 



O&M said, “Although we 

currently enjoy being in 

a leader in the market 

segmenst we have chosen, 

we always believe that 

there are opportunities for 

continuous improvement to 

be ahead of the race. 

“I am confident that you 

will maximise your learning 

by applying your new 

competencies and 

knowledge acquired from 

this programme to the 

improvement of the 

organisation.” 

The GMP comes under the 

enhanced Management 

Development Programme, 

an initiative of the Keppel 

O&M Talent Development 

Department, which also 

includes the Advanced 

Management Programme as 

well as the Young Leaders 

Programme. keppelite 

Delicious dome at Keppel Land’s Melia Purosani hotel in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 

Holiday-makers and 

travellers will find more 

than just comfort and 

service excellence at Keppel 

Land’s Melia Purosani hotel 

in Yogyakarta, Indonesia – 

sweet satisfaction is in 

massive abundance for those 

with a penchant for 

chocolate, even if it is strictly 

eye-candy only. 

With their contributions, 

Melia Purosani has been 

entered into Indonesia’s 

MURI Records, the local 

version of the Guiness Book 

of Records, for the successful 

creation of the country’s 

largest chocolate dome, 

measuring 4.80 metres in 

height and 3.75 metres in 

diameter. 

Participants engage in discussions to explore ways of effective managing 

At Melia Purosani, guests can 

now feast their eyes on 

Indonesia’s largest chocolate 

dome, a towering sculpture 

of sweet victory for the 

staff. 

From start to finish, the giant 

dome took about two weeks 

of hard work from all the 

kitchen staff, which provided 

the expertise for the colossal 

chocolate building project. 

keppelite 


Team 35 

Teeing off to another great year 

The Overall Champion, Mr Michael Goh, receives the challenge trophy from Professor Tsui, 

Chairman of K-REIT Asia 

Building on foundations of 

strong tenant relationships, 

K-REIT Asia continued its 

tradition of hosting its valued 

tenants at the second 

annual golf tournament on 


“This annual golf 

tournament is a small 

gesture of appreciation 

to our tenants, sponsors, 

consultants, investors, 

friends and colleagues. It also 

serves as a platform for us to 

know you better,” expressed 

Professor Tsui Kai Chong, 

Chairman of K-REIT Asia in 

his welcome remarks. 

The morning drizzle did not 

dampen the golfers’ spirits 

as they conquered the 

greens at Sentosa Golf Club 

Tanjong Course, making 

the tournament another 

successful one with everyone 

walking away with big prizes 

that night. 

The challenge trophy went 

to Mr Michael Goh from 

Interasia Lines Singapore, 

who scored 52 points with a 

handicap of 17. keppelite 

Winning strokes 

Having played host to 

Motorola International 

Bintan early this year, Ria 

Bintan Golf Club, Keppel 

Land’s premier resort and 

golf club in Indonesia, 

continues to draw golfing 

professionals and amateurs 

from far and wide to its wellmanicured 

greens and 

championship Ocean and 

Forest courses designed by 

Gary Player. 

It was a weekend of sharp 

shots and winning strokes on 

Ria Bintan’s award-winning 

18-hole Ocean Course 

at the Ria Bintan Open 2007 

which took place over 15 and 

16 September 2007. The 

tournament was presented 

by Nike Golf and Citigold. 

Apart from enjoying the 

windswept beaches and 

mature woodlands of the 

Ocean Course, participants 

packed in power and 

distance as they took on the 

challenges of the course, one 

of the best in Asia. Ria Bintan 

was named the ‘Best Course 

in Indonesia’ and ‘Best 

Course in Asia – Runner-Up’ 

by Asian Golf Monthly this 

year. keppelite 

The youngest participant, 11-year-old Mark Ong from Singapore with a handicap of 10, 

competed in the Men’s A division and received a token prize from Mr Jeffrey Low, GM of 

Ria Bintan 


36 People 

Appreciation of key asset 

“Rest assured that CCB, GFD 

and I – senior management 

– will do our best to ensure 

all Keppelites are given 

opportunities to enjoy and 

build their long-term careers 

at Keppel,” were the firm 

words and personal promise 

made by Mr Lim Chee Onn, 

Executive Chairman of 

Keppel Corporation at the 

Keppel Group Orientation on 

24 September 2007. 

Those better acquainted with 

Keppel will certainly know 

that CCB and GFD refer to 

Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Senior 

Executive Director of Keppel 

Corporation and Chairman & 

CEO of Keppel Offshore & 

Marine, and Mr Teo Soon 

Hoe, Keppel Corporation’s 

Group Finance Director 

respectively. 

“The world is getting flatter,” 

was the curious and arresting 

remark made by Mr Choo to 

which many sat up for a 

closer listen. 

Mr Choo went on to explain 

that there is an unavoidable 

levelling of businesses 

everywhere competing 

tooth and nail in the global 

arena for ascendancy and 

bigger bites of the profits 

pie. 

Consequently, companies 

all over have intensified 

their strategic efforts to 

continually improve, upgrade 

and propel their workforce 

forward to retain leadership 

position, recognising that 

people is their key asset. 

More than just proficient 

individuals, Mr Choo stressed 

the greater need to cultivate 

capable and competent 

teams to deliver on Keppel’s 

trademark of quality 

commitment. 

To the new Keppelites, this 

was a reassuring message of 

the value placed by senior 

management on rewarding 

and retaining employees 

who demonstrate strong 

potential and good 

performance. 

While Mr Choo painted a 

portrait of the fierce 

competition that Keppelites 

are up against to sharpen 

Keppel’s leading edge, 

Mr Teo shared on a brighter 

note the continued positive 

results and compounded 

growth recorded by the 

Group since the opening of 

the decade. 

With a strongly motivated 

manpower base, he shared 

his confidence that Keppel 

would be able to continue 

building even more growth 

platforms in the decades to 

come. keppelite 

Amidst their busy schedules, 

Keppel’s senior management 

made it a priority to engage 

some 200 newcomers. Such 

is the demonstration of 

management commitment 

to meeting and getting to 

know new members of the 

Keppel family. 

They also shared their 

personal histories with the 

company, and key insights 

into the winning strategies 

taken by Keppel in the past 

decades. 

Goal-oriented – New Keppelites will find abundant opportunities for them to fulfil their aspirations within the Group 


People 37 

Kin business sense 

Fish tales and toasty talks 

drew hefty laughter and 

heartfelt respect from some 

400 Keppelites at the third 

instalment of Keppel Group’s 

Grow Beyond Series – The 

Next Lap. 

Charismatic speakers and 

well-known Singaporean 

entrepreneurs, Mr Adrin Loi, 

Executive Chairman of 

Ya Kun International and 

Mr Kenny Yap, Executive 

Chairman and MD of Qian 

Hu Corporation took time 

off on 26 September to 

share with Keppelites their 

entrepreneurial ventures 

in succeeding, running and 

growing their families’ 

businesses. 

The brainchild of Executive 

Chairman of Keppel 

Corporation Mr Lim Chee 

Onn, the series of success 

sharing talks is part of the 

Keppel Group’s Leadership 

Development initiative to 

motivate and inspire talents 

across the Group. 

TOAST TO SUCCESS 

The roots of Ya Kun’s 

kaya toast date back to 

1926 when a Hainanese 

immigrant, Mr Loi Ah Koon, 

set foot on Singapore and 

set up his own coffee-stall 

business. 

Mr Loi Ah Koon, whose 

name inspired the 

beginnings of what was to 

(From left) Mr Lim Chee Onn, Executive Chairman of Keppel Corporation, together with Mr Kenny Yap, Executive Chairman & MD of Qian Hu 

and Mr Adrin Loi, MD of Ya Kun who engaged Keppelites in a lively discussion on their phenomenal success stories 

become a household brand 

– Ya Kun – is a recognisable 

face having been used 

extensively in the company’s 

marketing collaterals. 

One wonders if Mr Adrin 

Loi’s diligence and smarts are 

hereditary as are his splitting 

similarities in appearance to 

his father, the pioneer of the 

business. 

Eventually taking over 

the reigns from his father, 

Mr Loi drove the 

company’s expansion 

through franchising. 

Starting with the flagship 

store, he expanded the 

business to 29 outlets all 

over Singapore and further 

developed another 24 

outlets across Indonesia, 

Taiwan, South Korea, Japan 

and the Philippines. 

Besides Mr Loi’s leadership 

and foresight, the secret 

to Ya Kun’s success 

ultimately lies in the closely 

guarded recipe, which to 

many Keppelites’ slight 

disappointment, was not 

revealed that day despite 

being asked by Chairman 

Lim himself. 

WINNING TALES 

Next to share the guiding 

principles and credo behind 

his business endeavours was 

“Kenny the Fish”. 

After the failure of breeding 

a species of imported fish 

when he first started out, 

Kenny leveraged the lessons 

learnt and used his 

accumulated experience to 

establish Singapore as the 

current largest exporter of 

ornamental fish in the world. 

He has since earned 

numerous awards for 

transforming his familyowned 

fish farm into a 

mainboard-listed company. 

Although Ya Kun and Qian Hu 

are in entirely different 

industries from Keppel, they 

all share a common belief 

in the need to constantly 

improve and innovate. It is also 

notable that a strong family 

ethos of unity and importance 

placed on nurturing leaders for 

effective succession planning 

are cornerstones in all three 

companies. keppelite 


38 People 

Journey of discovery 

Keppelites from across the globe step up in unity 

Hailing from Azerbaijan to 

China, 33 Keppelites recently 

embarked on a five-day 

journey of discovery, during 

Keppel’s second Global 

Young Managers 

Programme. 

The programme is a leadership 

development initiative 

designed to introduce young 

managers from Keppel 

business units worldwide to 

the Group’s operations. 

The eager Keppelites 

attended workshops that 

honed their negotiation skills 

and personal effectiveness. 

They also visited Keppel 

Offshore & Marine’s local 

yards, Keppel Integrated 

Engineering’s Ulu Pandan 

NEWater Plant and Keppel 

Land’s Reflections at Keppel 

Bay show gallery. 

To further enrich their 

experience, the programme 

was structured to coincide 

with two other events, the 

Keppel Group Orientation 

(see page 36) and the Grow 

Beyond Series talk (see page 

37). 

Jules King Y. Villarta, Chief 

HR Officer of Keppel Cebu 

Shipyard shared, “The 

programme enhanced my 

understanding of the various 

businesses of the Keppel 

Group, especially after 

the comprehensive Group 

Orientation workshop and the 

visit to the various business 

units. The workshop on 

Enterprise Risk Management 

was very useful as what we 

learnt is applicable in our dayto-day 

work.” keppelite 


People 39 

Keppelites Abroad 

Finding his beat in Brazil 

When Danny Ang first learnt 

that he would be posted to 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his first 

thought was of the lush 

Amazon forest, then of the 

beaches. Of course, he did 

not imagine his office to be 

in the middle of the jungle 

or by the beach but he knew 

it would be an adventure. 

Starting off in Keppel FELS 

Brasil’s yard in Niteroi, some 

13 km from Rio de Janeiro 

City, he found himself 

struggling to communicate 

with the locals. He was a 

stranger in a country, 

with no local friends or 

knowledge of the language. 

For the first two weeks, he 

had difficulty adapting and 

often found himself using 

the international language of 

hand gestures. 

Thankfully, his Singaporean 

colleagues brought him 

around, introduced the local 

delights to him, and showed 

him the best stores and 

beaches to go to. He slowly 

learnt the language from his 

colleagues, Singaporean and 

Brazilian alike. 

As he began working in the 

head office in Rio de Janeiro, 

his Portuguese improved. 

Now based in Angra Do Reis, 

a town approximately twohours 

drive from Rio, his 

language skills have vastly 

improved, not to mention his 

navigation skills around 

town. 

A Management Accounting 

Manager, Danny’s job of 

preparing monthly financial 

reports often has very tight 

deadlines. He would often 

give instructions to his staff 

without having time to 

explain the rationale. He 

found that his Brazilian 

counterparts would not 

perform the tasks unless 

understand the objectives. 

While unaccustomed to it, 

he found their attitude 

refreshing because the 

background, they would 

take the initiative to find 

creative solutions to the 

challenges. 

Working on two major 

projects, the P-52 and P-51, 

Danny was gratified to see 

the culmination of the team’s 

efforts when the former 

was recently christened by 

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio 

Lula da Silva. 

Danny said, “Being here 

has really given me the 

opportunity to grow. 

Working on these projects, 

I have managed to learn 

outside my job scope such as 

commercial and taxation 

areas as well as involve 

Danny (2nd from left) fits right in with friends and fellow Keppelites in Brazil 

myself in the drafting of 

contracts. Dealing with 

numerous international 

suppliers and contractors 

also definitely helps to 

broaden my perspective.” 

Although he has not been to 

the Amazon forest, he has 

tasted the wildlife of Brazil. 

During the weekends, he 

would accompany fellow 

Keppelites, including Deputy 

CEO, Keppel FELS Brasil, 

Daniel Chang on fishing 

trips. Six of them could easily 

catch up to 30 fishes a day 

with they would whip up 

delicious meals. 

His excursions have also 

taken him to Sao Paulo, 

which requires a six-hour bus 

ride from Rio. They spend the 

weekend there, enjoying the 

food and shopping. With the 

largest Japanese population 

outside of Japan, he can have 

the best Japanese meal in 

Brazil. 

Having spent almost two 

years there, he now feels 

thoroughly at home. “Being 

at the other end of the world 

from Singapore, the 

opportunity to work in Brazil 

is something special. Coming 

with an open mind, I’ve seen 

and learnt many wonderful 

things here,” Danny shared. 

keppelite 


40 Community 

Patron of the Arts 

Keppel’s efforts and 

contributions to developing 

and sustaining the arts in 

Singapore were recognised 

by the National Arts Council 

(NAC) at the Patron of the 

Arts Award Ceremony held 

at the Esplanade on 


Dr Lee Boon Yang, 

Minister for Information, 

Communications and the 

Arts, presented to Keppel 

Singapore’s highest 

recognition for arts 

sponsorship – the Patron of 

the Arts Award. 

Ms Sarah Seah, Deputy GM, 

Keppel Group Corporate 

Collecting on behalf of Keppel, Ms Sarah Seah accepts the Patron of the Arts Award from 

Dr Lee Boon Yang 

Communications, said, 

“Keppel is happy to 

contribute to the vibrant 

and growing arts scene 

by providing meaningful 

platforms to showcase both 

local and international 

talents. Through our support 

of the Arts, we hope to enrich 

the lives of Singaporeans 

with creative and innovative 

artistic expressions.” 

This is the sixth consecutive 

year that Keppel Corporation 

has been presented the 

Friend of the Arts Award. 

Some of the artistic 

performances that Keppel 

Corporation has supported 

in 2007 include the Bebel 

Gilberto concert, WOMAD, 

Jeremy Monteiro’s concert at 

the Singapore Arts Festival 

and Gone Shopping! a local 

movie production. 

This year, MobileOne Ltd was 

also one of the 19 recipients 

of the distinguished Patron 

of the Arts Award. Singapore 

Petroleum Company 

received the Arts Supporter 

Award. keppelite 

Building tomorrow’s workforce 

Over 600 workers from the 

Cameron Country area 

workforce of Brownsville, 

Texas, will benefit from 

the job-training grant 

administered by the Skills 

Development Fund of 

the Texas Workforce 

Commission (TWC). Keppel 

AmFELS is part of the fivemember 

offshore drilling 

consortium to partner the 

Texas Southmost College for 

the grant. 

The US$733,538 grant will 

be used to create or upgrade 

jobs for welding, pipe fitting, 

carpentry, and mechanical, 

among others. 

Apart from providing 

employment to over 1,500 

workers, Keppel AmFELS has 

been contributing to the 

overall development of 

Brownsville through its 

consistent support to the 

community, educational and 

welfare organisations. 

The company is one of the 

largest contributors to United 

Way of Southern Cameron 

County, a reputable Texasbased 

charity whose primary 

focus is on funding 

programmes for youths and 

equipping adults and families 

with basic living necessities. 

keppelite 

Keppel AmFELS President and CEO, G.S.Tan (fourth from right), together with members from 

the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Southmost College and the offshore drilling consortium 


Community 41 

Home-grown dynamics 

As a multi-national 

conglomerate with a strong 

global presence in places as 

far-flung as Azerbaijan and 

Algeria, the Keppel Group 

remains nimble and swift in 

delivering on value and 

quality in the local markets 

where it operates. Keppel is 

powered by a passionate 

workforce ever-ready to 

grow beyond the changing 

challenges of our 

businesses. 

This was the inspiration 

behind the theme of the 

2008 calendar – “Dynamic 

Moves” produced by 

Keppel Group Corporate 

Communications. 

The calendar is the work of 

collaborative efforts between 

two Singapore icons, Keppel 

and the Singapore Dance 

Theatre (SDT). As an avid 

supporter of the local arts for 

more than two decades now, 

Keppel is proud to provide 

this platform to showcase 

the brilliance and talents of 

SDT. 

The meaningful partnership 

is significant as 2008 marks 

the anniversaries of Keppel’s 

40 years, and SDT’s 20 years, 

of excellence. keppelite 

Lithe and living passion – Singapore Dance Theatre performers project Keppel’s passion for excellence through their art in the Keppel Group 

2008 calendar 


42 Community 

Green Initiatives 

Tote for green thoughts 

The Tanglin-Cairnhill Citizens 

Consultancy Committee 

(Tanglin-Cairnhill CCC) made 

an environmental statement 

recently with its project 

“Make Your Own Bag”. 

Instead of throwing away old 

PVC event banners, they 

were given new life as 

colourful, fashionable tote 

bags. This project was 

spearheaded by the Tanglin- 

Cairnhill CCC with the aim 

of driving home the green 

Olá Brazil 

message and also to provide 

extra wages for low-income 

families. 

Some 2,000 of these bags 

have already been produced. 

The Tanglin-Cairnhill CCC 

aims to produce 5000 of 

these bags eventually. 

Keppel was the first private 

organisation to buy 500 

of these recycled and 

reusable bags for its corporate 

events. 

Mr Chan Soo Sen, Director 

of Chairman’s Office, 

Keppel Corporation said, 

“Protecting the environment 

is a core concern for Keppel. 

We are happy to be the first 

private organisation to 

help Tanglin-Cairnhill CCC 

spread the green message 

and generate income for 

lower income families 

through this meaningful and 

innovative way.” keppelite 

(From left) Mr Chan Soo Sen, Director, Chairman’s 

Office, Keppel Corporation and Ms Indranee 

Rajah, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for 

Tanjong Pagar GRC observe the making of a 

reusable bag using recycled materials 

Known for her brand of chill 

Brazilian music and lush 

acoustic sophistication, Queen 

of Bossa Nova, Bebel Gilberto, 

returned to Singapore for an 

Bebel Gilberto seduces with her alluring voice 

evening of seduction as she 

moved audience with her 

soulful vocals. 


(Keppel O&M) shared this 

enthralling evening with 

its business associates, 

customers, as well as 

members and delegates from 

the Latin Asia Business 

Forum. 

Mr Tom Muirhead, BC-10 

Singapore Site Lead for Shell, 

who is based at Keppel 

Shipyard (Tuas), shared, “My 

wife and I had a great time 

at the concert. This is our first 

time catching a Brazilian 

concert and the music was 

excellent! Kudos to Keppel 

for planning such events 

that encourage interaction 

between its people and 

clients outside of work.” 

Bebel made her first 

appearance at the age of 

seven on her mother’s first 

solo album, Miucha. By 

nine, she was performing 

alongside her mother and 

legendary jazz saxophonist 

Stan Getz at a jazz festival in 

New York’s Carnegie Hall. 

Keppel O&M brought this 

music prodigy to Singapore 

shores for her debut 

appearance here in 2005. 

This was followed by her 

second sell-out performance 

on 2 October 2007 at the 

Esplanade Concert Hall. keppelite 

* Olá means hello in Portuguese 


Community 43 

volunteers 

Keppel 

On Nature’s trail 

It was no simple stroll in the 

park. 

With a little creative thinking 

and the spirit of sharing from 

the Keppel Volunteers, some 

50 students from Chao Yang 

School took invaluable 

lessons about nature at the 

Singapore Botanic Gardens 

on 5 October 2007. 

In groups comprising students 

and volunteers, they explored 

and experienced nature’s 

wonders and beauty that no 

classroom lesson could 

convey. 

An avalanche of colours, 

smells and shapes from the 

rich flora and fauna filled 

their senses as the students 

went about collecting leaves 

and stems for their creative 

art classes when they 

returned to school. 

Filled with energy and 

enthusiasm, the students 

trekked with genuine glee 

and good cheer along the 

nature trails. 

Along the trek, the students 

were also asked to identify 

the Tembusu tree, a native of 

our island. This is the same 

tree that can be found 

Singapore’s five dollar note, 

an interesting bit of trivia 

not many Singaporeans are 

aware of. 

Equipped with bread to feed 

the fish in the pond, the 

volunteers divided portions 

to their students who 

enjoyed watching the fishes 

swim around in a frenzy for 

food. 

However, the highlight of 

their visit was the bubble 

blowing activity which 

drew explosions of laughter 

from the children as they 

tried to catch the bubbles 

floating in the air. 

Andrew Lim, Senior 

Draftsman at Keppel FELS 

enthused, “Spending time 

with them made me forget 

that I am an adult as their 

innocence and joy are 

infectious. It was a 

meaningful afternoon well 

spent.” keppelite 

Bubbling with glee were students from Chao Yang School at the outing in the gardens 

Up close and personal with a giant Tembusu tree 


44 

BackPage 

Keppel Nantong clinches S$110m 

shipbuilding contracts 

Keppel Nantong Shipyard has clinched contracts to build 26 offshore support vessels and tugboats 

Keppel Nantong Shipyard, 

the wholly-owned subsidiary 

of Keppel Offshore & Marine 

(Keppel O&M), has clinched 

three contracts worth a 

total of S$110 million 

(RMB$550 million), including 

owner-furnished equipment, 

to build eight tugs. 

The first contract is secured 

from Smit Internationale 

Beheer B.V (SMIT) to build 

two 90-tonne bollard pull 

offshore support tugs. It will 

have anchor handling, diving 

support, and fire fighting 

capabilities. 

Delivery of these two vessels 

is expected in the first half of 

2010. They will be deployed 

in West Africa. 

The second and third 

contracts are awarded by 

Keppel Smit Towage and 

Maju Maritime. Each contract 

is for the construction of three 

65-tonne bollard pull twinscrew 

Azimuth Stern Drive 

(ASD) tugs. They will be built 

in accordance to the MTD 

3265 ST design, developed by 

Keppel O&M’s technology 

unit, Marine Technology 

Development (MTD). 

The vessels are expected to 

be progressively delivered in 

the year of 2011. 

Mr Lee Tai Kwee, President 

of Keppel Nantong, said, 

“With the eight new vessels, 

Keppel Nantong has an 

orderbook of 26 vessels 

currently under construction 

on our 16 hectare site. We 

are glad that our customers 

have confidence in the 

capability of this new yard 

which is just under two years 

old.” 

Keppel Nantong launched 

the Anchor Handling Tug/ 

Supply (AHTS) vessel for Hadi 

Offshore at the end of 

September this year. The 

60-tonne AHTS was the 

second, out of four vessels in 

the series, to be launched 

within two months. 

Acquired by Keppel O&M 

in 2005, Keppel Nantong 

engages in the construction 

of specialised vessels such as 

offshore support vessels and 

tugboats. Located along the 

Chang Jiang River, it is about 

110 km north-west of 

Shanghai. keppelite

October 2007 - Keppel Corporation

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