Kenya is sending a senior delegation to Singapore to negotiate mutual recognition of its seafarer certificates, a move aimed at lifting Kenyan crews into better paid and better protected jobs at sea. The mission is led by the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, which wants a formal Memorandum of Understanding that would let officers and ratings trained in Kenya use their existing Certificates of Competency to obtain Singapore endorsements instead of re-qualifying under another flag, directly connecting them to one of the world’s most influential registries.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority runs the Singapore Registry of Ships, which now covers more than 4,200 vessels and over 100 million gross tons, making it one of the five largest registries globally. In parallel, the Port of Singapore has reported record ship arrivals, container volumes, and bunker fuel sales in 2024, including strong growth in alternative marine fuels, which confirms its role as a critical node in East–West trade and underlines why Kenya is targeting the city-state as a labor market partner. These trends are documented in official updates from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and industry reviews of port performance.
Kenya’s training and regulatory base
Over the last decade, Kenya has built a seafarer training pipeline through the Technical University of Mombasa and Bandari Maritime Academy in Mombasa. Both institutions offer Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) compliant safety and ancillary courses and have invested in simulators and instructor development, supported by joint projects between the International Maritime Organization and East African training centres. Bandari’s School of STCW and Ancillary Training promotes itself as providing “world-class” skills for aspiring crew, while recent IMO-backed simulator workshops hosted in Mombasa have focused on strengthening assessment methods for African instructors.
Regulatory reforms have tried to keep pace. The Kenya Maritime Authority has issued updated guidance on STCW implementation and independent evaluations and is the focal point for applying the convention’s requirements domestically. At the same time, the government has accelerated the rollout of biometric seafarer identity cards to make it easier for qualified Kenyans to embark on foreign vessels, a programme highlighted in official communications on the state’s maritime jobs agenda.
Kenya has already signed four mutual recognition agreements for its certificates, with Panama, Liberia, Palau, and Jamaica. Those deals, reported by both government portals and regional maritime commentary, opened initial offshore opportunities across large open registries but still left many Kenyan seafarers competing for a limited pool of lower-cost jobs and struggling to access premium fleets in Europe and Asia.
Why Singapore is the pivotal partner
Singapore’s flag is widely treated in the shipping industry as a quality benchmark, combining tight enforcement of safety and labour conventions with incentives for modern, energy-efficient tonnage. The Singapore Registry of Ships passed the 100 million gross ton mark in 2024 and continues to grow on the back of reflagging by major container and tanker operators, according to official data and specialist reporting on registry trends. Analyses from sources such as Safety4Sea and the MPA highlight how the registry’s growth is tied to its reputation for strict compliance and a relatively young fleet.
For Kenyan negotiators, moving from dependence on open registries to recognition by a high-quality Asian flag is both a labour and reputational strategy. Under STCW Regulation I/10, Singapore can only recognise Kenyan certificates after it is satisfied with the country’s training, examination, and enforcement systems and then files the necessary notices with the IMO. If Kenya is added to Singapore’s list of recognised administrations, Kenyan officers and ratings will be able to apply for endorsements to work on Singapore-flagged container ships, tankers, bulkers, and offshore vessels, rather than being confined to a narrow slice of the open-registry market. The MPA’s own guidance on seafarer certification spells out how such endorsements operate for foreign certificate holders.
Planned pathways for cadets and officers
The Singapore talks build on earlier engagement between Nairobi and shipping interests with strong links to the city-state. On 23 May 2025, maritime cabinet secretary Hassan Joho met Evergreen Marine Corporation chair Molly Mok in Nairobi to explore structured sea-time placements for Kenyan cadets, with the explicit goal of helping them gain the onboard experience required for international certification.
Kenyan institutions are positioning themselves to supply skills that fit Singapore-linked fleets. Bandari Maritime Academy and the Technical University of Mombasa are expanding specialised modules in navigation technology, shipboard energy efficiency, and digital ship systems, while exploring curriculum development and simulator exchange with foreign partners. These initiatives are intended to match Kenya’s training profile with the needs of younger, more automated and lower-emission vessels that increasingly dominate registries such as Singapore’s, hence making Kenyan officers and ratings more competitive in recruitment shortlists.
International pay surveys show that merchant navy professionals can earn annual packages that significantly exceed typical onshore incomes, with senior officers reaching high five- or six-figure sums and junior officers and ratings starting at lower but still competitive levels. Industry analyses, including Spinnaker’s Global Pay Survey for 2024, point to continued upward pressure on seafarer wages in a crew-led market, especially for well-trained officers on deep-sea tonnage (Spinnaker 2024 pay survey). Against that backdrop, even a few thousand Kenyan seafarers in stable Singapore-linked posts would generate sizeable remittances and tax receipts, supporting Kenya’s blue economy strategy that seeks to turn maritime services into a pillar of foreign-exchange earnings and youth employment.
If those conditions are met and a robust Memorandum of Understanding is signed, the Kenya–Singapore partnership will do more than open a new hiring pipeline. It will mark a structural shift in how Kenya connects its citizens to the sea-based economy that surrounds it, moving the country closer to its goal of becoming a recognised supplier of skilled maritime labour rather than just a user of passing ships.
As Editor in Chief of The Maritime, I lead content development, interviews, and digital storytelling across our multimedia maritime platform. With over 10 years of experience in the maritime industry, I create and publish in-depth stories and video features that highlight key players, emerging trends, and operational realities across global shipping. Before launching The Maritime, I worked as a Vessel Operator at Imza Marine A.S., gaining hands-on commercial shipping and voyage operations experience. I also served as Marketing Communications Specialist at Gimas Ship Supply & Services, where I managed corporate communication, digital strategy, and industry outreach for shipowners and maritime clients. I hold a Master’s degree in Maritime Transportation Management from Istanbul Technical University and a Master’s degree in Publishing from Marmara University. My work is driven by the belief that the maritime world deserves strong, informed, and accessible media representation. I am committed to sharing the stories of maritime professionals and contributing to the sector’s visibility, knowledge exchange, and future development.
