Fronting the international Clipper Race
Keppel Corporation is the main sponsor of the Uniquely Singapore yacht and the host port sponsor for the Singapore stopover in the Clipper 07-08 Round-the-World Yacht Race. This is the second time that Singapore is fielding an entry in the biennial international sailing race for amateurs.

Heightening public and private sector collaboration, the Singapore Tourism Board came alongside Keppel as an official race partner to promote Singapore globally as a must-visit destination.

To provide added exposure and self-development opportunities for the Group’s employees, six Keppel ambassadors were sponsored on various legs of the current expedition, up four from the previous 05-06 race.

The Uniquely Singapore yacht was launched into the Clipper 07-08 Race in May 2007 by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance at St. Katherine’s Dock in London.

The 07-08 competition which took off from Liverpool in September 2007 will culminate in June 2008 after traversing seven legs and eight ports of call, over ten months.

The world sailed into Keppel Bay on 19 January 2008. Ten international clippers from Fremantle made an eventful nine-day stop-over at Singapore’s new waterfront playground, Marina at Keppel Bay, enroute to Qingdao.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong who opened the Marina in conjunction with the Clippers’ arrival was present to accord the international crew a Uniquely Singapore welcome.

Rising to the Clipper challenge are people of all ages, social backgrounds and nationalities who despite their differences, share a similar thirst for adventure.

On its homecoming voyage, the Uniquely Singapore clipper provided fertile ground for greater interaction among the youths of Southeast Asia. The ASEAN contingent, who sailed as crew members on the Fremantle-Qingdao leg, was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate ASEAN’s 40th Anniversary and Singapore’s chairmanship of the Association.

During the Singapore stopover, families, friends and fans of crew members from all across the globe rallied to cheer on the Clipper fleet at Keppel Bay. Not only has the Clippers’ arrival added colour and excitement to Singapore’s vibrant southern waterfront hub; it has also generated goodwill for the local sailing fraternity and raised public interest in the sport.