

For Immediate Release
Inaugural World Congress on Maritime Heritage Kicks Off at Resorts World Sentosa in March 2019
More than 300 international leaders, industry professionals and researchers across government, maritime, shipping, heritage, archaeological and ocean conservation communities will gather in Singapore for the ultimate goal of securing a sustainable future
SINGAPORE, 21 November 2018 – The inaugural World Congress on Maritime Heritage, co-organised by the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage (CIMH) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), will be held from 13 to 15 March 2019 at lifestyle destination resort RWS in Singapore. The Congress will address the current state of the shipping industry, examine the sector’s past influence on global trade and cultural influences as featured in the world’s maritime museums, illuminate signature undersea archeological and exploration activities, and connect these communities to provide a window into the future.
“The world today is a legacy of our maritime heritage,” said CIMH Chairman Mr Terry Garcia. “The 1st World Congress on Maritime Heritage provides an unprecedented opportunity to re-discover our past through the lens of our shared maritime heritage and examine how the factors that affected the past can inform the future.”
The Congress will include key figures in the different sectors and will be opened by former International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary-General, and Honorary Chairman of the CIMH, Koji Sekimizu. The current Secretary-General of the IMO, the Honorable Kitack Lim, will provide a keynote address on The Ocean as the Pathway to International Commerce and the Global Economy. Key representatives of the shipping, heritage and underwater communities will also be participating in this first ever gathering of thought leadership across the maritime sector.
“Although it is always not well appreciated and easily forgotten, our modern life is created on our past maritime history and maritime heritage. It is particularly so for maritime nations such as Singapore and Japan,” observed former IMO Secretary-General Sekimizu. “The World Congress on Maritime Heritage will provide an excellent opportunity for us to recognise our past and consider future developments.”
Other topics being covered in the conference include how the ocean is a pathway to a sustainable future, cultural diversity, and governance. Additional features include “Why we must explore the past to navigate the future”, tourism and maritime heritage in the global context, and regional breakout opportunities.
The Congress is being jointly organised by the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage and Resorts World Sentosa with support from the IMO, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, International Congress of Maritime Museums, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the International Chamber of Shipping, and North American Marine Environment Protection Association.
RWS is also official venue host for the three-day event which will include a programme held at the revamped Maritime Experiential Museum, the only one of its kind in Singapore dedicated to the exploration of the iconic Maritime Silk Route. Housing a total of 15 immersive galleries, the attraction holds a combination of state-of-the-art visual projections and multimedia shows. Highlights include the Jewel of Muscat, an Arabian ship which made a tumultuous 138-day voyage from Oman to Singapore in 2010 using ancient navigational methods with a crew of 15, and the Typhoon Theater which simulates a sinking ship in a treacherous storm.
Registration for the Congress is now open. For more information on the programme and invited speakers, please click here to visit our website World Congress on Maritime Heritage 2019 (wcmh2019.com).
– END –
MEDIA CONTACT
Carleen Lyden Walker | +203 255 4686 | c.walker@morganmarketcomm.com
ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
ABOUT THE CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONAL MARITIME HERITAGE
The Consortium of International Maritime Heritage (CIMH) is a non-profit organisation formed with the purpose of raising public awareness of our connection to the ocean through understanding our maritime heritage. The goal is to develop new--and enhance existing-- mechanisms to connect the public with its maritime roots. The Consortium is dedicated to developing and supporting maritime heritage programming that can serve as focal points for a wide array of constituent groups to share culture values and experiences that shed light on how we are interconnected by the world’s oceans. Rediscovering the past through our shared maritime heritage allows us to collectively better navigate a sustainable future. Maritime heritage is the history of human involvement with the ocean and coastal lands and waters. It includes the history of ships, seafaring, marine transportation, navies, ports and communities, immigration, tourism, traditional maritime practices and trades, fishing, the marine environment, lighthouses, submerged cultural resources, museums and educational organizations, the arts, literature, law and history of human involvement with the sea. As a new organization the Consortium is currently focusing on it’s first effort, the inaugural World Congress on Maritime Heritage 2019.
For more information, please visit www.cimheritage.org.
ABOUT RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Asia’s premium lifestyle destination resort, is located on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa. Spanning 49 hectares, RWS is home to world-class attractions including Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, the Maritime Experiential Museum, Dolphin Island and Adventure Cove Waterpark. Complementing the adventure and adrenaline of its theme parks and attractions are six unique luxury hotels, the world-class Resorts World Convention Centre, a casino and the Asian flagship of a world-renowned destination spa. RWS offers award-winning dining experiences and exciting cuisine from around the world across its many renowned celebrity chef restaurants, establishing itself as a key player in Singapore’s vibrant and diverse dining scene and a leading gourmet destination in Asia for epicureans. The integrated resort also offers world-class entertainment, from original resident productions to concerts and public shows such as Crane Dance and Lake of Dreams. RWS has been named “Best Integrated Resort” since 2011 for eight consecutive years at the TTG Travel Awards which recognises the best of Asia-Pacific’s travel industry.
RWS is wholly owned by Genting Singapore, a company of the Genting Group. For more information, please visit www.rwsentosa.com.
Facebook: @ResortsWorldatSentosa Instagram: @rwsentosa www.rwsentosablog.com
Note to Editors
- The photo below is of Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General Emeritus, International Maritime Organization (IMO).
- Koji Sekimizu is the Honorary Chairman of the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage.
