From Mechanic to Marina Supervisor: How one worker transformed his career through upskilling

One afternoon at One°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, what began as a routine day for Marina Supervisor Nur Muhammad Md Amirah turned into a tense situation he had to deal with.

A man burst into the office shouting for help, bolting the door behind him. Outside stood another man brandishing what looked like a weapon — a long comb with a sharp edge.

Drawing on his National Service experience as a police officer, Muhammad reacted instinctively to calm the aggressor.

“I told him, ‘Don’t do anything stupid. If there’s a misunderstanding, you can talk things out. If anything happens to you, who will take care of your family?’” he recalled.

His calm and steady approach defused the situation before the authorities arrived. The incident turned out to be a misunderstanding between two boat crew members, but it showcased Muhammad’s composure and ability to apply real-world lessons to his work.

Trading wheels for waves

Muhammad’s path to the marina was far from straightforward.

Growing up, Muhammad dreamed of becoming a pilot, but struggled with Mathematics and eventually became a car mechanic — a role he held for 15 years. By 2017, feeling stuck with little room for growth, he decided to make a bold career switch.

He joined One° 15 Marina Sentosa Cove as a technician, driving and maintaining the buggies that ferry guests around the marina.

Thereafter, his strong work ethic and eagerness to learn caught his supervisor’s attention.

He was promoted to become a Marina Assistant three years later, where he supported the berthing needs of the luxury boats at the marina. The job includes towing boats to dry docks for maintenance or to fuel docks for refuelling.

Muhammad loading a boat at the dry dock, an area where boats are housed for maintenance.

After learning basic berthing skills on the job, he actively participated in training across diverse areas, including oil spillage response, fuel operations, sea emergency protocols, and sustainability. He also regularly updates himself with marina-related news and embraces digital tools, such as the myENV app to monitor environmental risks, reinforcing his future-ready mindset.

“I think it’s important to upgrade myself to stay relevant in a changing world, to have career growth and opportunities. I apply all my training in my work almost every day, and it has helped in my career,” shared Muhammad, who was promoted to the role of Marina Supervisor in 2021, where he oversees a team of assistants.

Due to his strong commitment to continuous learning, the company named the 41-year-old a “Training Warrior” in 2024 for exceeding the required training hours for his position.

The Marina Supervisor recently received the FDAWU/NTUC/SHA Employee of the Year Award 2025 for his exemplary performance and contributions to organisational success. The NTUC-affiliated Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) hold this longstanding award annually to recognise outstanding hotel and hospitality workers.

Steering his career

The intrepid marina worker also acquired a boating licence, which has come in handy during search and rescue efforts.

 In 2022, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) requested the marina's assistance in recovering a capsized boat in open waters. Muhammad and a crew of five braved choppy waters in two small boats to tow the larger submerged boat back to the safety of the marina, utilising all the rescue training they had received. Today, he is one of MPA’s designated search-and-rescue personnel.

“I can’t become a pilot, so I became a [boat] captain,” he smiled.

“It feels good, but my experience is only in Singapore waters. There’s more to learn in other marinas or other countries,” said Muhammad, who plans to take a marina management course to further his skills and rise to become an operations manager.

Captain of change

From powering his career, Muhammad has recently taken on a new role to empower the lives of his fellow workers as a union branch chairman at One° 15 Marina Sentosa Cove. The company is unionised by the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU).

Since he was elected four months ago, the dedicated leader has been on the ground listening to members’ feedback and recruiting new members, with the support of the union.

“I’m still learning to communicate with all the other departments and chatting with my other colleagues to see if they are happy or not.

“I want [my colleagues] to feel like they can talk to me about any problem, so that I can give feedback to HR about things like disputes,” he shared.