The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) signed an agreement today to jointly develop a high capacity terminal simulation system that could be applied to handle mega-container vessels. The Agreement was signed this afternoon by Mrs Lee Chin Neo, Director of Corporate Services of the MPA, and Professor Lim Mong King, Deputy President of NTU. The Agreement will be effective from 1 Sep 2000 and continues for 3 years.
Jointly funded by the MPA, NTU, and the National Science and Technology Board (NSTB), the project involves the development a container terminal simulation system to handle future mega-container vessels at the quay-side and land-side operations, including the container stacking yards, feeding of containers between the quay-side and the stacking yards, and delivery of containers into and out of the terminal. The system aims to enhance the efficiency of port operations and optimise terminal capacity by identifying and removing potential bottlenecks that could result from applying existing container-handling systems to future mega-container ships. Although the project focuses on the handling of mega-container ships, the result of the study would be applicable to all types of container ships.
Total cost for this R&D project is estimated at S$2 million, with NSTB contributing almost S$1.5 million, and the MPA and NTU funding about S$300,000 and S$200,000 respectively. The 3-year project will be carried out in NTU's Centre for Advanced Information Systems, School of Computer Engineering.
Said Mrs Lee in her address, "Since its formation in 1996, the MPA has placed great emphasis on R&D in the port and maritime industry. This project, among others, demonstrates the MPA's commitment towards constantly developing and applying technology to improve port operations. The result of the project will improve the productivity of the container terminals in Singapore."
For NTU, this project reaffirms its commitment in carrying out research relevant to the local industry. As Professor Lim highlighted, "This collaboration involves one of strategic national importance, namely, the maintenance of our world-class port in Singapore."
In July this year, the MPA and the NTU extended its existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on R&D for another 2 years.
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