Dr Parry Oei Receives 2016 Alexander Dalrymple Award

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has awarded the 2016 Alexander Dalrymple Award to Dr Parry Oei, director (Port Services) and chief hydrographer at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), in recognition of his outstanding contribution to world hydrography. 

The Alexander Dalrymple Award, established in 2006 and named in honour of the first hydrographer of the Royal Navy in 1795, is presented by the UKHO each year. It is awarded to coincide with the celebrations of World Hydrography Day, a United Nations-endorsed recognition of the vital role of hydrography in supporting safe navigation and sustainable use of the world’s seas, oceans and waterways.

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Singapore is one of the world’s busiest ports and plays a vital role in world trade as a global shipping hub and maritime gateway to Asia. Dr Parry Oei has served as Singapore’s chief hydrographer since 2004 and has been a key international figure in the promotion and development of Electronic Navigational Charts in Asia.

The 2016 Alexander Dalrymple Award was presented to Dr Oei by John Humphrey, Chief Executive of the UKHO, at a World Hydrography Day Reception held at the International Maritime Organization in London. Mr Humphrey said that Dr Parry Oei has made a tireless contribution to the international hydrographic community, particularly his leadership in delivering the first Singapore Electronic Navigational Charts, as well as his guidance within the East Asia Hydrographic Commission’s capacity building initiatives and the tripartite Marine Electronic Highway Working Group in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. He added that Dr Oei has made a difference to hydrography in East Asia, he is currently making a difference with his work as chairman of the International Hydrographic Organisation’s Inter-Regional Coordination Committee and he is a very worthy recipient of the Alexander Dalrymple Award.

Present the award at the UK’s World Hydrography Day celebration, expresses the UKHO’s ambition to raise awareness of hydrography and the importance of the seas and waterways to everyone’s lives. The organisation should also remember the important work of the IMO on the implementation of the mandatory carriage of ECDIS. The use of ENCs has steadily increased year-by-year and as of May 2016, 51% of all vessels that are subject to the SOLAS regulations on the mandatory carriage of ECDIS, including those that do not trade internationally, are now fully ECDIS ready.