On 22 April 2026, YCAPS, The Captain’s Table, and Navy League of the United States (Singapore Chapter) convened “Two Worlds, One Ocean.” An official sideline event of Singapore Maritime Week, the workshop facilitated crosstalk across more than 60 senior participant-stakeholders, bringing a range of perspectives from the commercial, government, and academic sectors.
The Two Worlds, One Ocean workshop opened with a scene-setting speech from Daniel Ng, a former Republic of Singapore Navy officer who served as the Deputy Director of the Information Fusion Centre at Changi Naval Base and now works as the Regional Director (APAC) at Vanguard Tech. Daniel focused on how maritime security has evolved in recent decades from a military task to one requiring input from diverse stakeholders due to growing complexity.
This complexity was made tangible through a short two-stage simulation exercise. Inspired by the current disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, it extrapolated from real-world events to consider the disruptions to other straits: a similar situation but happening in a very different geographic context. Participants were asked to reflect on dimensions such as risk management processes, information interpretation and sharing, dependable partners and practices, and the role of technology in mitigating (or exacerbating) crisis.
Regarding risk, there was a general consensus that different stakeholders perceived the desired outcomes in similar ways, prioritizing safety and balancing it with contractual and legal obligations. Risk was no longer perceived as uniform, however, with physical risks a major consideration alongside less tangible forms like reputational damage. While risks were presented as uncertain, a perceived climate of risk was sufficient to cause significant changes in behavior amongst commercial operators. Despite this, it was not always clear whether measures implemented in the early stages of a developing crisis could sufficiently mitigate the exacerbation of concerns that develop as the situation evolves – especially if responses required checking with multiple stakeholders before action could be taken.
Information gathering, interpretation, and sharing were highlighted as particular challenges to this process. Information sources often remain siloed with little means of aggregation. When information is fragmented along sectoral domains, a lack of aggregation and translation means it was also difficult to identify what information was most important and dependable, and there is not always sufficient data redundancy in different contexts. It was highlighted that other regions lack sustained and transparent reporting mechanisms, meaning it was difficult to identify trustworthy information.
It was not just data, however, that raised questions of reliability. It was not always clear what stakeholder was responsible for which mitigating activity, for example, and whether states, their navies, and alliances could be depended upon. There were also questions about whether treaties like SOLAS and ISPS (as well as other agreements such as contracts and insurance) remain fit for purpose given the changing nature of the maritime domain.
Technology posed both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, technology offers a stronger real-time image of what is happening on board a vessel and within the region itself given the improvements of connectivity. When this connectivity is disrupted, however, new questions arise concerning whether those onboard are sufficiently equipped and informed to deal with the situation without real-time communication.
Across these different themes, the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders was seen as the primary mitigation. With few structures for these conversations in place, these need to be developed and matured moving forward.
YCAPS Executive Director John Bradford, Senior Research Fellow Scott Edwards, Singapore Director Keng Hoe Toh, and Director Southeast Regional Program Charlie Brown served as workshop facilitators.
