Both parties will trial AI and digital models to improve route planning and safety, reduce carbon emissions and cut turnaround times for vessels in port.
THE Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will collaborate with tech giant Microsoft to support the development and use of digital and green solutions for the maritime industry.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday (Jul 29), the tie-up will include areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics and cybersecurity.
MPA and Microsoft will trial the use of AI and digital models to improve route planning and safety, reduce carbon emissions in maritime operations, as well as cut turnaround times for vessels in port.
They will also train workers to use and implement these solutions for their operations.
As part of the authority’s efforts to strengthen the industry’s cyber resilience, both parties will also tap on MPA’s cybersecurity capabilities to support the early detection of cyber threats and enable companies to take timely actions. This will help to improve the cyber capabilities of maritime startups and enterprises, they said.
They will also develop digital solutions or leverage existing Microsoft products to create technologies that will aggregate demand and improve energy efficiency for shipping and port operations.
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This includes using Microsoft’s digital modelling and simulation tools and analytics capabilities, as well as spatial models to help inform policy and make decisions on climate risk assessment, mitigation and adaptation measures.
David Foo, assistant chief executive of operations technology at MPA, said: “The collaboration also supports goals for the maritime sector to innovate, reduce business costs and carbon emissions in alignment with the national and international emission targets.”
Singapore’s port terminals aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 – a target set out in the Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint which MPA launched in 2022.
To gear up for the transition, the Republic announced in April that it is launching a maritime energy training facility that will be completed by 2026. The facility will equip maritime workers with the skills to handle cleaner marine fuels.
