Singapore and Germany concluded the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Maritime Transport today. The MOU was signed by BG (NS) Choi Shing Kwok, Permanent Secretary (Transport), Singapore, and Mr Ralf Nagel, State Secretary for Transport, Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing, Germany.

The conclusion of the MOU on Cooperation in Maritime Transport builds upon the Agreement on Maritime Transport which was signed in June 2000 between Singapore and Germany.The MOU provides a conducive framework for cooperation in maritime areas of mutual interest including R&D and technology, safety and security, and training.The MOU will pave the way for closer cooperation between the two governments, as well as increase opportunities for collaboration among the tertiary and research institutions and companies of both countries.

The close ties between Singapore and Germany are demonstrated by the recent joint projects undertaken in the field of maritime research and development. These include the development of computational fluid dynamics capabilities for predicting ship response in storms, and shipboard trials of a ballast water treatment system to prevent the transfer of harmful organisms.Both projects are co-sponsored by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund.Under this MOU framework, the projects will benefit from greater streamlining in the coordination and implementation.

The MOU has also encouraged the exploration of a wider range of collaborative projects.Some proposals include the development of simulation models for ports and waterways; as well as performance standards and system requirements to transmit Vessel Traffic System (VTS) targets and tracks to selected ships via electronic means such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS).Discussions are currently underway to work out the details of these projects.These projects will involve MPA's German counterpart, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Hamburg), the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, and the Nanyang Technological University, among others.

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