1991

General Secretary Leow Ching Chuan wrote in the GS report for SOS 8th Triennial General Meeting:

"One of the alternatives was to limp along with a hemorrhaging membership until our Union was bled dry without any registered seamen left to man our Union."

"Another option would be to continue to change tack to compensate for the declining number of Singapore seamen."

"The third option was to embark on a cooperative route to the future."

The Union chose to be proactive to combat the declining union membership.

SOS constitution was amended to allow foreigners working on board ships under SOS Collective Agreements to enrol as participating members of the Union.

1992

SOS participated actively in the NTUC nationwide membership campaign and also conducted its own membership recruitment drive.

Union organised a 3-day workshop on "The Future Direction of SOS" in Penang. The seminar discussed wide-ranging problems faced by the SOS and made appropriate recommendations on the future direction of SOS .

1993

Union membership rose from a record low of 2265 to 3000 in December 1993.

To cope with the rapid changes in global shipping and work patterns of Singapore seamen, the Union organised a workshop on Collective Bargaining Policy in September 1993 to review and update its policies on Collective Bargaining.

1994

A General Meeting held in early May fully endorsed the setting-up of the Seacare Co-operative.

Seacare Co-operative Ltd, jointly owned by NTUC and SOS, was registered on 28th May 1994 with the following mission :

"To help and benefit Singapore seamen and their families through more work opportunities and appropriate investments projects."

1995

The Union officially launched the Seacare Holdings Pte Ltd as a commercial arm of Seacare Co-operative Ltd.

Both the SOS and SMOU concluded an industry-wide ITF approved Total Crew Cast (TCC) Collective Agreement with Singapore Maritime Employers' Federation (SMEF) to cover foreign flag ships.

To give effect to Seacare's objective, the Union purchased 372,670 shares of Seacare Co-operative Ltd and distributed them free to 979 eligible SOS members in conjunction with SOS 25th Anniversary Celebration.

1996

SOS continued to help foreign seafarers together with SMOU as local affiliates of the ITF. More than 300 claims were handled by both the SOS and SMOU and more than US$2 million were recovered in respect of these claims.

SOS membership reached 4600 in December 1996.

1997

A total of 313 vessels were covered by SOS Collective Agreement and the Union continued to ensure that ships under SOS Collective Agreement favoured the employment of Singapore seamen to some extent.

Union membership rose to 5558 in December 1997.

The ITF approved TCC agreement with SMEF was renewed with the benchmark wage for AB adjusted upwards to US$1,200 per month.

1998

SOS 21 Workshop was held in Hong Kong to discuss the Union's mission and identify the likely challenges to be faced by the Union in the new century.

SOS Membership Benefit Scheme was enhanced in accordance with the recommendations of SOS Welfare Workshop.

1999

To help alleviate the plight of abandoned seafarers, the Union together with MPA & SMOU jointly established the Singapore Stranded Seafarers Fund (SSSF).

2000

SOS and SMOU agreed to jointly establish a Seafarers' Provident Fund Scheme with the objective of providing retirement benefits to seafarers serving onboard ships covered under Collective Agreement.

The Union acquired through its co-operative, Seacare Co-operative, a nine-storeyed building at 52, Chin Swee Road to serve as the corporate headquarters of the SOS and the Seacare Group of Companies.