The medium- to long-term prospects for the global maritime industry, especially in Asia, remain upbeat, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday as he unveiled several initiatives to boost the local sector. This includes a boost in manpower development. MPA plans to put aside $2 million to fund a Global Internship Award for about 100 interns over the next five years, and 15 international maritime firms are already keen to be host companies. Another measure is the launch of a maritime economics concentration at the SMU School of Economics in August.