It might be the world’s premier maritime hub, but the bills are a pain. How do you run a tight ship in the Lion Republic? Singapore may be celebrated as one of the world’s most efficient and stable maritime hubs, but beneath the gloss, businesses are grappling with the rising cost of keeping their operations anchored in the Lion City. The latest official figures show headline inflation easing to just 0.6% year-on-year in July 2025 — a deceptively calm number. Peel back the layers and the picture looks far less forgiving. Food and transport inflation remain stubborn (+1.1% and +2.1% respectively), while healthcare and services costs continue to gnaw at company bottom lines. For shipping firms and their suppliers, this translates into higher operational overheads and tighter margins. The Singapore Business Federation’s National Business Survey underlines the anxiety: nearly half of firms flag the high cost of adopting new technology as a major barrier, while over a quarter report liquidity strains. Retail and hospitality have been hardest hit, but the maritime sector is far from immune. Landlords report mixed rent trends. Prime retail spaces still command strong rates, while logistics properties show signs of softening after earlier spikes. Utilities, however, remain costly, and the step-up in GST from 7% to 9% over 2023–24 continues to reverberate across balance sheets. Energy costs, meanwhile, have stabilised compared to the wild swings of 2024, but energy-intensive industries remain weighed down by older contracts and investments in efficiency upgrades. The stress is showing. The food-and-beverage sector, an important barometer of small-business health, has recorded an accelerating pace of closures in 2025, driven by rent and wage inflation. Manpower costs are also surging as companies compete for limited talent, while compliance costs for new climate and digital standards add further pressure. Shipping adapts Shipping companies are responding with a mix of technology adoption, workforce restructuring, and cost discipline. For many, Singapore remains indispensable — but they are approaching resourcing and investment decisions more deliberately. “Singapore has long been a strategic hub for Anglo-Eastern, and we continue to invest in its maritime ecosystem through partnerships, innovation, and knowledge-sharing,” says Niraj Nanda, chief commercial officer of the world’s largest shipmanager. “The rising cost and more limited availability of a qualified workforce are growing challenges that we are tackling with the right strategies. A hybrid model, with part of the workforce based in other countries, has proven effective.” Nanda highlights Anglo-Eastern’s push into technology to control costs, pointing to the Anglo-Eastern Fleet Performance Centre in India, which crunches operational data to deliver fuel and emission savings. The company has also embraced a shared service centre in India, consolidating finance, procurement and IT functions for efficiency. “The decision to utilise a shared service centre allows us to benefit from the cost advantages associated with operating in regions with lower labour costs without compromising on the quality of services rendered,” Nanda explains. Still, Anglo-Eastern’s commitment to Singapore is clear. Earlier this year, the company consolidated its entities into a new office at Labrador Tower. “Stable and capable governance, high efficiency, a safe work environment and pro-business policies continue to