Navigating Horizons: Fatimah Zahra's Maritime Journey
Fatimah Zahra Ebnuarabi, Photo Credit: SPH Media
Fatimah Zahra Ebnuarabi (Maritime Studies, Year 3) was first captivated by history and literature. It was a conversation with her elder brother that first steered her towards the maritime industry.
“I thought maritime was too specialised,” admits the 22-year-old.
Deciding to keep her options open, Zahra took a chance on a maritime business course at Singapore Polytechnic.
As Zahra progressed through her diploma, lessons on global trade and logistics revealed an industry far more dynamic, interconnected and people-driven than she had imagined.
“People often think maritime is boring but, within the industry itself, there are so many sectors and opportunities,” she says. “The more I learnt about global trade and how Singapore plays a vital role as a global hub in the shipping industry, the more interested I became.”
Zahra began her maritime studies with a second major in data analytics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2023. She has completed two summer internships at Bernhard Schulte, a German shipowner, rotating across multiple departments and gaining hands-on industry experience.
Zahra is a recipient of the Bernhard Schulte – MaritimeONE Scholarship and is featured in the Scholars’ Choice 2026 published by The Straits Times.
