The Shipping Academy

09/08/2026

Good Day, Singapore — and Happy National Day!

Here are THIS WEEK’s TOP FIVE .

#5 — CHINA LOOKS NORTH, AGAIN: THE ARCTIC
China continues strengthening its Arctic shipping capabilities, with TradeWinds reporting new digital services supporting commercial shipping along Arctic routes.
Why does it matter? Tomorrow’s shipping battle isn’t just about bigger ships — it’s about routes, technology, information and access. The Arctic is increasingly part of that equation.

#4 — LNG: OLD SHIP, NEW LIFE
Excelerate Energy has acquired an LNG carrier from Meiji Shipping for around US$79 million, planning to convert her into an FSRU.
The Singapore connection? TradeWinds reports Excelerate is in talks with Seatrium over the conversion — where Singapore shines: engineering, maritime expertise and high-value conversions.

#3 — VLCC VALUES ARE FLYING
Tanker values are attracting serious attention, with major owners selling vessels to ADNOC Logistics & Services at strong prices.
Frontline reportedly realised around US$110 million in gains selling two VLCCs.
An old shipping lesson: money isn’t just made carrying cargo — it’s made owning the right ship at the right point in the cycle.

#2 — SEALEAD: A SINGAPORE SHIPPING STORY ENDS
Splash247 reports Singapore-headquartered SeaLead Shipping is being liquidated following US sanctions.
Its rapid rise was a remarkable story of the container boom. Its fate shows how quickly fortunes change.
Markets, ships and customers matter. But today, geopolitics, sanctions and compliance can determine whether you trade at all.

#1 — HORMUZ AND THE RED SEA
TradeWinds reports vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea have fallen sharply amid renewed attacks on commercial shipping.
For shipowners — security risk.
For charterers — higher insurance and freight costs.
For cargo owners — delays and uncertainty.

And perhaps that’s the perfect place to finish.
Singapore has no oil wells, vast mineral resources or huge domestic market.
But we have something enormously valuable:
Our location. Our connectivity. Our people. Our reputation as a trusted maritime nation.

From all of us at The Shipping Academy, Happy 61st Birthday, Singapore!
🇸🇬 Majulah Singapura!

Check out our Courses and Services to help you and your career @ www.TSASING.COM

09/08/2026

CETERIS PARIBUS — 9 AUGUST 2026 🇸🇬Edition

Good Day, Singapore — and Happy National Day!

Today, 9 August 2026, our Little Red Dot celebrates 61 remarkable years of independence.

Ceteris Paribus is our weekly roundup of the Top 5 shipping stories shaping our world. It’s Latin for “other things being equal.” But in shipping? Things are almost NEVER equal!

Here are THIS WEEK’s TOP FIVE .

#5 — CHINA LOOKS NORTH, AGAIN: THE ARCTIC
China continues strengthening its Arctic shipping capabilities, with TradeWinds reporting new digital services supporting commercial shipping along Arctic routes.
Why does it matter? Tomorrow’s shipping battle isn’t just about bigger ships — it’s about routes, technology, information and access. The Arctic is increasingly part of that equation.

#4 — LNG: OLD SHIP, NEW LIFE
Excelerate Energy has acquired an LNG carrier from Meiji Shipping for around US$79 million, planning to convert her into an FSRU.
The Singapore connection? TradeWinds reports Excelerate is in talks with Seatrium over the conversion — where Singapore shines: engineering, maritime expertise and high-value conversions.

#3 — VLCC VALUES ARE FLYING
Tanker values are attracting serious attention, with major owners selling vessels to ADNOC Logistics & Services at strong prices.
Frontline reportedly realised around US$110 million in gains selling two VLCCs.
An old shipping lesson: money isn’t just made carrying cargo — it’s made owning the right ship at the right point in the cycle.

#2 — SEALEAD: A SINGAPORE SHIPPING STORY ENDS
Splash247 reports Singapore-headquartered SeaLead Shipping is being liquidated following US sanctions.
Its rapid rise was a remarkable story of the container boom. Its fate shows how quickly fortunes change.
Markets, ships and customers matter. But today, geopolitics, sanctions and compliance can determine whether you trade at all.

#1 — HORMUZ AND THE RED SEA
TradeWinds reports vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea have fallen sharply amid renewed attacks on commercial shipping.
For shipowners — security risk.
For charterers — higher insurance and freight costs.
For cargo owners — delays and uncertainty.
For Singapore, sitting astride one of the world’s great maritime crossroads, the lesson is clear: freedom of navigation is the lifeblood of global trade.

And perhaps that’s the perfect place to finish.
Singapore has no oil wells, vast mineral resources or huge domestic market.
But we have something enormously valuable:
Our location. Our connectivity. Our people. Our reputation as a trusted maritime nation.

From a small trading port to one of the world’s great maritime centres, Singapore’s story has always been connected to the sea.
From all of us at The Shipping Academy, Happy 61st Birthday, Singapore!
🇸🇬 Majulah Singapura!



Check out our Top Courses and Services to help you in your company and your career @ www.TSASING.COM

21/06/2026

Keynotes to Myself - Youth is a currency , Spend it well .
_________________________

One of the wonderful things about LinkedIn is that it quietly reminds us that the world is smaller than we think.

Every now and then, an old friend, colleague or customer from another chapter of life suddenly appears on your feed. A name you haven’t seen in twenty or thirty years. A face hidden somewhere in the attic of your memory.

Last week, a friend from Japan dropped me a simple “Hello.”

That one word opened a floodgate.

Suddenly I was no longer a 60-year-old maritime educator wondering where the next project might come from.

I was a young executive again.

A little more hair.

A little less waistline.

A lot less wisdom.

And standing at the beginning of an adventure.

Back then, I had the privilege of working on the shipping alliance involving NOL, NYK, K Line and OOCL. Together we operated services that traversed the Pacific and circled the globe.

The cargoes moved across oceans.

But so did friendships.

I remember my first trips to Japan.

The excitement of landing at Narita.

The neon lights of Shinjuku.

The impossibly punctual trains.

The long meetings with our counterparts at NYK where every detail mattered and every commitment meant something.

As a young Singaporean executive, I learnt quickly that business in Japan was never just about transactions.

It was about trust.

About preparation.

About showing up.

About keeping your word.

Virtues that seemed old-fashioned then.

Virtues that remain priceless today.

The world today is infinitely more connected.

We have Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp, AI and enough technology to communicate with almost anyone on earth instantly.

Yet sometimes I wonder if relationships were actually simpler back then.

A handshake meant something.

A promise meant something.

A friendship meant something.

Perhaps that is why receiving a simple greeting from an old friend after all these years feels so special.

It reminds us that careers are not measured solely by promotions, titles or salaries.

They are measured by the people who still remember you decades later.

The young man in these photographs had no idea where life would eventually take him.

He did not know he would one day teach thousands of students, build a training academy, advise companies or survive more than a few storms.

He was simply trying his best, learning as he went along and saying “yes” whenever opportunity knocked.

Looking back, I realise something.

The ships were important.

The projects were important.

But the friendships were the real cargo.

And after all these years, some of them are still arriving safely in port.

Arigato gozaimasu, my friends.

The voyage continues.

🚢 🇯🇵👍

The lessons from my early days in global shipping inspired our Essential Elements of Shipping programme — helping participants understand how world trade really works, beyond the textbook.

Discover more at www.Tsasing.com

28/05/2026

Jacky Chan , Mr Ken's former Top Uni Grad consults him for help to take shipping to the next level ....
===============================

Dear Mr Ken,
Hope you still remember me — Jacky Chan, your top student from XTU Maritime Studies 2014......Yes sir… somehow I made it. 😀
I’m now Director of Sales for UVWXYZ Container Shipping.

But alamak sir… honestly ah… improving GPA was easier than surviving container shipping.

Every quarter:
fight freight wars
defend BAF ( Bunker Adjustment Factor )
answer RFQs
squeeze margins
push sales team until everybody half-zombie ( I am losing my soul ! )
…and after all that, our P&L barely moves.

Every carrier selling the same thing:
“Best service.”
“Best transit time.”
“Best rates.”

Sir… for old times sake…
Tell me honestly. Can this Project Cargoes / SCD thing really make money or not?

Best Regards,
Jacky Chan Shure Kạn

-----------------------------------------

Dear Jacky,
Of course I remember you.
You were the kind of student that made the bell curve cry.😀

Congratulations on becoming Director.
But your email tells me one thing very clearly:
You are tired of selling CHEAP space.

Project cargoes is different.
It does not sell on:
lowest freight
free detention
desperate discounts

It sells on:
trust
ex*****on
expertise
relationships
confidence

One yacht shipment can bring more revenue than dozens of normal containers.
LOOK AT THE PICTURE BELOW !!!

That is REAL freight.
REAL margins.
REAL EBITDA.

And when shipping cycles collapse?
Normal cargo disappears first.

But projects:
energy
infrastructure
mining
defence
still move.

That is why smart carriers are quietly building Special Cargo Departments.
Not for glamour.
For survival.
And because you were my favourite stress-case student…
I give you 10% off the course.
😀
And your joke for the day:
Why are container shipping salesmen good at yoga?
Because every quarter they are already experts at bending over backwards for customers.
😀
Take care Jacky.
Remember:
Don’t just chase cargo.
Chase VALUE.

Best Regards
Ken
================================
On a serious note this is a 2 day online / offline course covering all the
rudiments of securing , marketing , quoting , operationalizing OOG , Awkward , HeavyLifts , Dangerous Cargoes - with teaching and sales collateral for both Liner Profesionals and NVOCC , or even Students curious about the high value transportation secrets of Project Cargoes .

Visit my website at www.Tsasing.com for more details ! Cya .

26/05/2026

20/05/2026

How I Turned What I Learnt in School & Life Into a Living in Shipping
================================

After decades in shipping, logistics, operations, management, consultancy and teaching, I realised something:
Many young executives and graduates are highly educated… yet still feel lost.
They ask:

“What is my real value?”
“How does what I learnt in school help me survive in the real world?”
What do Pythagoras, Newton’s Law, Maritime Insurance, freight rates, supply chains and project cargoes have to do with paying your bills, building a career or creating opportunities?

My answer?
Everything — if you know how to apply them commercially.
Nobody is born a shipping professional.
We learn from the ground up.

That is why I created:
Project Cargoes Mastery™
No corporate jargon.
No fluffy theory.
Just straight talk, real experience and practical industry survival skills.

Learn:
How shipping pricing really works
How to market & sell project cargoes
How to manage operational risks
How to execute shipments properly
How to build customer relationships
How to become commercially valuable and difficult to replace

For:
Shipping Lines
NVOCCs
Freight Forwarders
3PL & Logistics Companies
Young Executives & Commercial Teams

AI will not replace people who can solve problems, build trust, execute operations and think commercially.

Those people become bulletproof.

Available:
Online
Corporate in-house
Private sessions

PM me if you want to turn knowledge into real-world value.

24/12/2025

Wishing all my advocates,students, friends and family — and everyone I’ve crossed paths with — a brilliant and beautiful holiday season. 🙏🏻

May your days be filled with rest, laughter, good company, and quiet moments that matter.🌸

Thank you for your kindness, your trust, your support, and most importantly, your friendship.Each of you made this year richer in ways that go far beyond work or achievements.🍀

Merry Christmas, and here’s wishing you a meaningful, hopeful, and wonderful 2026 ahead ❤️✨

Ken Hope Banzai ‼️

24/08/2025

WHAT i LEARN IN LIFE , i LEARNT IN SHIPPING - LESSON NO.4

A tribute to my love in life - Shipping Project Cargoes : a sector in shipping where planning , co-ordination and just a little bit of creativity helps - what I learnt ? :

" THE main thing in life is to keep the main thing , your main thing . "







Master how to prospect , move , price , lash , ship & sell - OOG , awkward , DG cargoes , breakbulk loading and chartering skills on different types of ships … learn to earn .

Check out our hot project cargoes course - www.tsasing.com

31/07/2025

“This Used to Be My Playground…” – A Tribute to 456 Alexandra Road

Some people have Ivy League MBAs.
I had NOL. Neptune Orient Lines. 456 Alexandra Road.
26 floors of shipping wisdom stacked like a Jenga tower, minus the falling bits.
This building was my first real job after university – and for 23 long, glorious, heart-thumping years, it was my University of Shipping.
Before NTU had a Maritime Studies department, before Coursera was a thing, and before “Trump:s Tariffs ” became cocktail party jargon, we learned the hard way – on the job, on the move, on our feet.
Each floor? A masterclass.
• 25th – C-suite folks unusually in crisp suits and colder aircon.
• 20th – Liner trade managers wrestling transit times and tariffs.
• 14th – Logistics trying to squeeze a 40-footer into a 20-foot budget.
• 10th – Bunker boys and girls debating crude prices with coffee-stained spreadsheets.
• 7th – Agency teams battling port calls and customer complaints before lunch.

I wandered through them all.
From accounting to insurance, warehousing to brokering, chartering to legal.
Like a lost intern… who forgot to leave.

You see, this building taught me that shipping is not just about pushing rates and smiling at customers like you’re in a toothpaste ad.
It’s not even about JUST closing the deal.
It’s about being a professional shipping athlete –
Part economist.
Part lawyer.
Part fireman.
And a full-time student of Murphy’s Law.
Because when a ship collides, cargo delays, or a surcharge sneaks into your rate sheet…
You don’t call Customer Service.
You imagine how every floor in this building would react.
The insurance team checks coverage.
Legal drafts an email scarier than a K-drama plot twist.
Trade management recalibrates forecasts.
Operations schedules a workaround.
And sales…
Well, sales tries not to hyperventilate.

That mental map – floor by floor – became my secret weapon in consulting, BD, and training.

Today, I run The Shipping Academy and have trained thousands of young professionals, mid-career switchers, and ambitious students.
And what I teach is simple:

You don’t need to be a 100m sprinter. You need to be a decathlete.
A jack of all trades. A master of some.

You don’t have to be perfect.
Just useful.

So, to all the Gen Zs, poly grads, and uni students wondering whether shipping is "still a thing" – it is.

And it’s waiting for people like you.
Want to learn about liner trades, marine law, project cargoes or bunkering without boring yourself to death?

Drop me a note.
At The Shipping Academy, we train decathletes. Not sprinters.
Check us out at www.TSAsing.com

20/06/2025

Keynotes to myself 21Jun2025
🎓 Rankings, Robots & Rugby: What Education Should Be About
Every June, the QS Rankings drop like academic Oscars.
NUS at #8. SMU jumps. SUTD takes a fall. LinkedIn throws confetti. But here’s the awkward truth: employers hire people, not rankings.
And increasingly, they want grit — not just grades.
Today’s AI isn’t just clever. It out-strategises, drafts your pitch deck, and spits out market insights before your kopi is ready.
It’s a cyborg Sun Tzu with a search bar
So how do we compete? We don’t. We differentiate.
By doing what the machine can’t — feeling, deciding, leading.
I’m not a scholar,nor a C-suite or Phd, I’m just a Singaporean HDB heartlander who learned to hustle early- took night classes at NTU to secure my Msc while feeding Nan baby milk to my daughter and roughing it out in the global treacherous but adventurous world of ships .
BUT I’ve always believed in being a "do"-er : meeting customers needs;working the portnet/tradenet/HScodes ; reroute ships in the pacific ;release BL;project cargos surveys ;talk to my forklift driver , execute crossdocking & delivering our class 1 Fireworks so that we will all celebrate National Day.
"DO"-ing - Maybe our last Alamo, we humans stand on versus AI.
🎓 The Real Degree: Six Months of Mistakes
In over 18 years of adjunct teaching & 2 full glorious years as full time senior lecturer , the greatest growth I’ve seen isn’t in exam halls.
It’s in students fighting for an internship , APPLICATIONS of what they learn INTO PRACTICE at Bosch, PSA, DBS, SIA or GIC - to secure a letter of recommendation and thru that dress rehearsal - a possible letter of job offer.
That's the REAL scroll.
Education still matters.
It trains the mind. But it’s the life outside class that trains the heart.
- Leading your Rugby team through failures
- Feeding your family through tuition gigs
- Owning your mistakes, and showing up again
That’s not “extra-curricular.”
Those are credentials !
If I Could Tell My Students TWO Things -
> Get real experience - travel , volunteer , network
> Be brave with your time - Try. Fail. Rebuild. Repea - quickly !
Because time is the one currency that doesn’t refund.
Youth IS a currency - spend it well .
My greatest teacher? Not a professor.
It was Mrs. F***y Tan my secondary school - English and Lit teacher.
She didn’t care for prestige.She gave me a compass:
A sense of right and wrong thru the works of Shakespeare (!)
And the ability to write a damn good essay.
REMEMBER - Brains can be bought — but hearts must be won..
==========================================
If you like what you read - please subscribe to my linkedin page with the little " bell " . It can be found here - https://www.linkedin.com/.../urn:li:activity.../
My focus is on students who are struggling , and young professionals starting out - and also about ships ports planes containers tarriffs ...
And if you are a student or young professional just starting out in this crazy world DM me and will work out a solution - pro/bono .
Check out our REAL courses in Shipping on our website at www.TSAsing.com - conducted with real practitioners , DO-ers , who will enrich you with experience .
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