Each month until October, TradeWinds will publish a profile of a finalist in our Guiding Stars series, a project highlighting the people making change in shipping.

Our fourth Guiding Stars finalist is Kuet Ee Yoon, a former Singapore Navy officer who has spent decades across naval operations, offshore shipping, maritime heritage and safety advocacy in Singapore.

The 67-year-old maritime veteran discusses why Singaporeans must better understand the sea, the risks of losing maritime awareness in a global port city, and why stronger transparency around safety incidents matters.

He also reflects on growing up Chinese-educated in 1970s Singapore, his transition from the Navy to the private sector, and the “never say die” mindset he believes will determine Singapore’s future as a maritime nation.

TradeWinds' 10 Guiding Stars finalists have been nominated by our readers and editorial team. These are people who are innovating and creating real, tangible change in shipping and tackling some of its biggest issues. Later this year, we will ask you to vote on who will receive our TradeWinds Guiding Star award for 2026, which will be announced in November

Host: Huaqing Ma, TradeWinds Asia Correspondent

A TradeWinds/DN Media podcast

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