Singapore to set up living lab for maritime firms

It will deepen maritime research and development competencies.

In the efforts of transforming the maritime sector, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will be launching the MPA Living Lab to help firms adopt technology to improve business processes.

The Living Lab will focus on developing capabilities in the areas of data analytics & intelligent systems, autonomous systems & robotics, smart & innovative infrastructure, and safety & security.

In terms of data analytics, a maritime data hub will be set up for industry and technology partners to co-develop innovative applications, such as just-in-time vessel arrivals or predictive analytics to forecast traffic conditions and potential collision for the next-generation vessel traffic management system.

On the autonomous systems & robotics side, MPA will work with industry partners to provide framework conditions for the development and testing of autonomous vessels, drones and other autonomous systems. Sea spaces and regulatory guidelines will be provided for such testing activities

MPA will also optimise land and sea space by taking advantage of innovative engineering and technologies. For instance, the use of multi-purpose floating platforms for ship mooring and berthing, and timely supply of marine services will be employed.

Meanwhile, in enhancing port and maritime saftey, MPA will make use of technologies such as smart sensors for detection of intrusions and monitoring of marine incidents.

“The MPA Living Lab will be the first of its kind in the region and will not only help Singapore to transform its maritime sector into a high technology industry through the test-bedding and development of new systems and capabilities for future port operations but also enable companies to test-bed locally developed solutions under actual operating conditions, bringing these technologies closer to commercialisation and internationalisation," MPA Chief Executive Andrew Tan said.

MPA will be partnering with Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) to set up three maritime research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) within local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) over the next five years. The first centre focusing on maritime environment & energy will be launched by MPA and Nanyang Technological University by the second quarter of this year.