I have the honour and pleasure to warmly welcome on behalf of SOS and Seacare to this official opening of the Seacare Hotel our Guest of Honour, Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General, NTUC and our Special Guest, Mr Stephen Cotton, ITF Acting General Secretary.
An equally warm welcome is extended to our other foreign guests representing our fraternal affiliates and seafarers unions.
I also welcome to this auspicious event Ms Diana Chia, President of NTUC, Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chairman of SNCF and all other guests representing local organisations, namely, NTUC and its affiliates, SNCF and its affiliates, the MPA, the SMEF, the SMF, shipping companies, business associates, the SOS Executive Committee and the Seacare Board of Directors. The presence of these local organisations reflects the joint effort of the SOS and the Seacare in the development of the Seacare Hotel.
In pooling their resources for this hotel project, the SOS and the Seacare have clearly and unreservedly intended the project to be a contribution towards the international maritime labour movement. As part of the Seacare’s founding mission to further the welfare and interest of seamen, a project to make affordable hotel accommodation more readily available to seamen, the hotel project had much to be said in favour of it.
Initially, in 2008, the intention was to look for an existing hotel or a suitable building for implementation as a seamen’s hotel. After the search proved futile, a bout of brainstorming in 2009 led to the concept of constructing the desired hotel as an annexe of the Seacare Building. Very soon a much cherished dream was becoming a reality. The ground-breaking ceremony for the hotel in May 2010 was followed in due course less than two years later by the topping-up ceremony for the hotel in January 2012. The hotel project had now taken concrete shape that was visibly satisfying. The Soft Opening of the hotel in September 2012 was an operational prelude to today’s Official Opening.
The 16-storey Seacare Hotel has a total of 103 suites, deluxe and superior rooms. Its facilities include a Gym, a Sky Lounge, a Sky Garden, a Jackpot Room, the Club@52 as well as conference rooms. These are modest facilities in keeping with the economy-class status of the hotel but they cater to both the recreational and business needs of the hotel patrons.
Today’s Official Opening of the Seacare Hotel is a proud occasion for the SOS and the Seacare as it marks a most satisfying culmination of a 5-year long period of anxiety and constantly making adjustments to the project. It is therefore with great relief and joy for us to commemorate the successful conclusion of a process that began in 2008.
The SOS and the Seacare now take the opportunity to acknowledge and express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all persons and organisations that have in one way or other helped the SOS and the Seacare to turn their cherished dream and hope into tangible and concrete reality. In this respect, on behalf of the SOS and the Seacare, I am most happy to say a big “thank you” to the ITF for generously donating a 10-seater passenger van to the SOS and the Seacare for the use of seamen and other Seacare Hotel guests.
I also wish on behalf of the SOS and the Seacare to thank our Guest of Honour, Mr Lim Swee Say, our Special Guest, Mr Stephen Cotton, and all our distinguished international and local guests for gracing the occasion and sharing our happiness.
Thank you.
