The Shipping Academy

24/12/2025

Wishing all my advocates,students, friends and family — and everyone I’ve crossed paths with — a brilliant and beautiful holiday season. 🙏🏻

May your days be filled with rest, laughter, good company, and quiet moments that matter.🌸

Thank you for your kindness, your trust, your support, and most importantly, your friendship.Each of you made this year richer in ways that go far beyond work or achievements.🍀

Merry Christmas, and here’s wishing you a meaningful, hopeful, and wonderful 2026 ahead ❤️✨

Ken Hope Banzai ‼️

24/08/2025

WHAT i LEARN IN LIFE , i LEARNT IN SHIPPING - LESSON NO.4

A tribute to my love in life - Shipping Project Cargoes : a sector in shipping where planning , co-ordination and just a little bit of creativity helps - what I learnt ? :

" THE main thing in life is to keep the main thing , your main thing . "







Master how to prospect , move , price , lash , ship & sell - OOG , awkward , DG cargoes , breakbulk loading and chartering skills on different types of ships … learn to earn .

Check out our hot project cargoes course - www.tsasing.com

31/07/2025

“This Used to Be My Playground…” – A Tribute to 456 Alexandra Road

Some people have Ivy League MBAs.
I had NOL. Neptune Orient Lines. 456 Alexandra Road.
26 floors of shipping wisdom stacked like a Jenga tower, minus the falling bits.
This building was my first real job after university – and for 23 long, glorious, heart-thumping years, it was my University of Shipping.
Before NTU had a Maritime Studies department, before Coursera was a thing, and before “Trump:s Tariffs ” became cocktail party jargon, we learned the hard way – on the job, on the move, on our feet.
Each floor? A masterclass.
• 25th – C-suite folks unusually in crisp suits and colder aircon.
• 20th – Liner trade managers wrestling transit times and tariffs.
• 14th – Logistics trying to squeeze a 40-footer into a 20-foot budget.
• 10th – Bunker boys and girls debating crude prices with coffee-stained spreadsheets.
• 7th – Agency teams battling port calls and customer complaints before lunch.

I wandered through them all.
From accounting to insurance, warehousing to brokering, chartering to legal.
Like a lost intern… who forgot to leave.

You see, this building taught me that shipping is not just about pushing rates and smiling at customers like you’re in a toothpaste ad.
It’s not even about JUST closing the deal.
It’s about being a professional shipping athlete –
Part economist.
Part lawyer.
Part fireman.
And a full-time student of Murphy’s Law.
Because when a ship collides, cargo delays, or a surcharge sneaks into your rate sheet…
You don’t call Customer Service.
You imagine how every floor in this building would react.
The insurance team checks coverage.
Legal drafts an email scarier than a K-drama plot twist.
Trade management recalibrates forecasts.
Operations schedules a workaround.
And sales…
Well, sales tries not to hyperventilate.

That mental map – floor by floor – became my secret weapon in consulting, BD, and training.

Today, I run The Shipping Academy and have trained thousands of young professionals, mid-career switchers, and ambitious students.
And what I teach is simple:

You don’t need to be a 100m sprinter. You need to be a decathlete.
A jack of all trades. A master of some.

You don’t have to be perfect.
Just useful.

So, to all the Gen Zs, poly grads, and uni students wondering whether shipping is "still a thing" – it is.

And it’s waiting for people like you.
Want to learn about liner trades, marine law, project cargoes or bunkering without boring yourself to death?

Drop me a note.
At The Shipping Academy, we train decathletes. Not sprinters.
Check us out at www.TSAsing.com

20/06/2025

Keynotes to myself 21Jun2025
🎓 Rankings, Robots & Rugby: What Education Should Be About
Every June, the QS Rankings drop like academic Oscars.
NUS at #8. SMU jumps. SUTD takes a fall. LinkedIn throws confetti. But here’s the awkward truth: employers hire people, not rankings.
And increasingly, they want grit — not just grades.
Today’s AI isn’t just clever. It out-strategises, drafts your pitch deck, and spits out market insights before your kopi is ready.
It’s a cyborg Sun Tzu with a search bar
So how do we compete? We don’t. We differentiate.
By doing what the machine can’t — feeling, deciding, leading.
I’m not a scholar,nor a C-suite or Phd, I’m just a Singaporean HDB heartlander who learned to hustle early- took night classes at NTU to secure my Msc while feeding Nan baby milk to my daughter and roughing it out in the global treacherous but adventurous world of ships .
BUT I’ve always believed in being a "do"-er : meeting customers needs;working the portnet/tradenet/HScodes ; reroute ships in the pacific ;release BL;project cargos surveys ;talk to my forklift driver , execute crossdocking & delivering our class 1 Fireworks so that we will all celebrate National Day.
"DO"-ing - Maybe our last Alamo, we humans stand on versus AI.
🎓 The Real Degree: Six Months of Mistakes
In over 18 years of adjunct teaching & 2 full glorious years as full time senior lecturer , the greatest growth I’ve seen isn’t in exam halls.
It’s in students fighting for an internship , APPLICATIONS of what they learn INTO PRACTICE at Bosch, PSA, DBS, SIA or GIC - to secure a letter of recommendation and thru that dress rehearsal - a possible letter of job offer.
That's the REAL scroll.
Education still matters.
It trains the mind. But it’s the life outside class that trains the heart.
- Leading your Rugby team through failures
- Feeding your family through tuition gigs
- Owning your mistakes, and showing up again
That’s not “extra-curricular.”
Those are credentials !
If I Could Tell My Students TWO Things -
> Get real experience - travel , volunteer , network
> Be brave with your time - Try. Fail. Rebuild. Repea - quickly !
Because time is the one currency that doesn’t refund.
Youth IS a currency - spend it well .
My greatest teacher? Not a professor.
It was Mrs. F***y Tan my secondary school - English and Lit teacher.
She didn’t care for prestige.She gave me a compass:
A sense of right and wrong thru the works of Shakespeare (!)
And the ability to write a damn good essay.
REMEMBER - Brains can be bought — but hearts must be won..
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If you like what you read - please subscribe to my linkedin page with the little " bell " . It can be found here - https://www.linkedin.com/.../urn:li:activity.../
My focus is on students who are struggling , and young professionals starting out - and also about ships ports planes containers tarriffs ...
And if you are a student or young professional just starting out in this crazy world DM me and will work out a solution - pro/bono .
Check out our REAL courses in Shipping on our website at www.TSAsing.com - conducted with real practitioners , DO-ers , who will enrich you with experience .
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27/05/2025

Dear Mr Ken,
I am a Sales Virgin !!!
I just got thrown into the sales department of a big-time shipping MNC.
No experience. No training. Just vibes.
My boss gave me a smile, a quota, and a customer who ghosted faster than my last Tinder date.
I panicked.
Then I did what every lost soul does — I hit Kinokuniya.
Bought every book with the word “Sales,” “Closing,” and “NLP” in it.
Now I know how to "mirror," "build rapport," and "smile with my eyes."
Still no deal.
What gives?
Regards , Straight Wong

Dear Straight Wong,
Congratulations. You’ve just entered the most chaotic, soul-crushing, character-building profession on earth.
Sales.
Forget the scripts. Forget the funnels. Forget the funnels about funnels.

Let me drop a truth bomb that no sales guru will tell you:
It’s all about 人 ( REN in Chinese ) - People.

One word. One Chinese character.
Two strokes.
Infinite headaches.

Look closely at the picture below ...

One stroke is straight — firm, upright, clear-cut.
The other is curvy — smooth, flexible, kinda seductive even.

That’s people.

Some are straight — honest, naive, painfully by-the-book.
Others are curved — slick, savvy, adaptable... and occasionally full of crap.

Your job isn’t just to sell.
It’s to see.
Who’s straight? Who’s curvy?

More importantly — what are you?
Are you a straight arrow in a room full of curveballs?
Or a flexible hustler stuck in a rigid system?
But here’s the twist no one tells you:
It’s NOT about picking sides.

The secret?

Be the little red dot ( JUST like Singapore ! )

The one where the straight and the curve intersect.

That sweet spot where sincerity meets strategy, where you charm without lying and close without begging.

Because in the end, the best salespeople aren’t the loudest or the slickest.

They’re the ones who get people.
Truly get people.
The joy. The madness. The contradictions.

Welcome to the game, rookie.
It’s painful. It’s messy.
But once you find your red dot —
You won’t want to do anything else.

What do you say ?

Be Cool , Be U ,
Ken

CHECK US OUT ! at www.TSAsing.com
🚢 Professional Selling Skills for the Shipping Professional (PSSSP™)
A brand-new course by The Shipping Academy — built for those who sell in a tough, technical world.
📦 Shipbrokers, freight forwarders, chartering execs, bunker traders, logistics warriors — this one's for you.

Like Singapore - THIS fantastic course works EVEN IF you are an American , European , Chinese , Korean , Iranian , Indonesian , Indian , South African , Japanese .... the more the merrier !

Because sales in shipping isn’t about pushy tactics.
It’s about understanding people.
And becoming the red dot where the straight and the curvy meet.
💥 Enrollment opens soon. DM me or visit www.TSAsing.com to get on the waitlist.

Let’s Make Shipping Smart Again.™

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The Shipping Academy is a Singaporean based Training & Consultancy focusing on the Maritime Industry

12/02/2025

The Shipping Academy™
- Wishes Everyone A Great “Chap Goh Meh” the 15th day of the Chinese New Year , The Chinese Valentine ❤️

Top Selling Courses :
#1“ The Essential Elements of Shipping “ - a highly customised course for companies to learn everything from operations , law , sales etc in the maritime industry ;

#2 “ Shipping for Non-Shipping Executives “ - for the discerning young executive planning to learn or transit to the shipping industry ;

Check us out at www.TSAsing.com and make this year a profitable one 👍

28/01/2025

Wishing all Customers , Associates , Partners , Students , Friends and Family - KONG XI FA CAI ! and A Happy , Prosperous , Healthy , Hearty Year of the Golden Snake ! ... and to the brave men and women of the Republic of Singapore Navy to share 2 days of Shipping & Maritime Updates and conversations - thank you .

I am confident - Together We WILL Make Shipping Greater Again in 2025 !

24/12/2024

Wishing All Readers , Supporters , Associates , Students & Friends - A Very Merry Christmas , Happy Holidays and a Wonderful 2025 Ahead !

Let's Make ALL Your Dreams Great Again !

Check out our Hot Selling Course - The Essential Elements of Shipping on the 9 & 10 Jan 2025 , conducted by Mr Ken , your friendly neighbourhood trainer from NTU , SUSS , NP , SP , RMIT experience . It's FUN and promises to answer ALL your Shipping and Logistics Challenges .

Check out details at www.TSAsing.com - and see ya !

10/12/2024

From my LinkedIn Post - Happy Holidays everyone 👍 Thanks for your support ❤️

Dear Mr. Ken,

I’m writing to you from the depths of shipping despair.
Freshly minted in the world’s largest carrier, I find myself drowning—not in cargo, but in abbreviations, lingo, and an avalanche of terms that make my non shipping / logistics university degree feel like a coloring book. My daily conversations include BAF , CAF, switch BL ?? , THC , GRI , PSS , LSHF380 , LINER IN , FREE OUT and CY-CY . LCL . FCL aaarrrgh , and the only thing I understand about them is that I don’t understand them.

To make things spicier, my boss is Korean (she loves one-word emails), my ops manager is Japanese (he loves silence), and my COO is American (he loves 9 a.m. meetings in three time zones). Help! How do I look cool, stay afloat, and not accidentally offend someone?
Sincerely,
Bo Tuck Chey

Dear Bo Tuck Chey
Ah, shipping—the only industry where an “FCL” doesn’t refer to a fancy café latte but a Full Container Load. The truth is, shipping isn’t just about moving cargo; it’s about moving through a web of cultures, languages, and acronyms that make you question your grasp of English. Studies show that 80% of workplace misunderstandings stem from cultural and linguistic barriers. In shipping, a misplaced abbreviation or an unspoken cultural cue can delay shipments and derail careers faster than you can say “BOA - BERTH ON ARRIVAL.”

The solution? Learn the language of shipping like your paycheck depends on it—because it does. Being fluent in industry lingo and culturally savvy increases workplace confidence by 45% and enhances productivity by 30%. Think of it as your personal GPS in this vast global ocean. And speaking of global, consider this: In 2023, 60% of professionals in multinational companies reported that understanding cross-cultural communication directly influenced their promotions. In other words, knowing the difference between a "FEU" and a " FR ' isn’t just smart—it’s career survival.

Bo, I once stood in Paris holding two signs in French, looking like a walking croissant ad—zero clue what they said. Pretending? Can. But only for so long. The real hack? Learning. Join me at The Shipping Academy’s 2-day online course, where you’ll crack shipping’s secret code, sidestep cultural minefields, and even impress your Korean boss. Because let’s face it: ‘Lost in Translation’ is a great movie, but a lousy career strategy.

Let’s make shipping great again. , Oui ?
Ken

Stepping into the world of shipping? Don’t let the lingo and abbreviations leave you lost at sea! Join 'The Essential Elements of Shipping' course, where I break down the jargon, decode the acronyms, and show you how they impact your business—all in a way you’ll never forget. Guaranteed.

Visit www.TSAsing.com for full details and book your spot today. Let’s make shipping simple—and your career unstoppable!