19 April 2016
Press Release
Singapore, 19 April 2016 | For Immediate Release
Smart Ships take Centre Stage at the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Seminar 2016
Seminar sees launch of commemorative publication
“Building a Singapore Maritime Knowledge Hub”
Organised in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2016, the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Seminar on Smart Ships held today explored cutting-edge research and technology for the maritime industry as it sets its vision to usher in a new era of shipping and sustainability for a future-ready Maritime Singapore.
2 Keynote Speaker Mr Esben Poulsson, President of the Singapore Shipping Association, addressed the audience comprising senior shipping executives and the maritime R&D community on the need for smart ships to add value to the shipping industry with advanced digital competencies (see Annex A for speech – check against delivery). Other distinguished speakers (see Annex B for full list of speakers) including Mr Brijesh Tewari, Principal Specialist & Manager, Marine Consultancy Services, Lloyd’s Register Asia, discussed how smart ship technologies can significantly benefit the commercial shipping sector in a panel discussion chaired by SMI Executive Director Mr Heng Chiang Gnee.
3 The bi-annual SMI Research Showcase April 2016 was also launched during the event to raise the profile of maritime and offshore research and technology in Singapore. The Research Showcase will also be recognising maritime research excellence where visitors are invited from 19 to 20 April to vote for their favourite research projects (see Annex C for full list of projects). In addition to engineering R&D projects, two policy research projects were showcased for the first time by researchers from the Singapore University of Technology & Design and the Singapore Management University, who are also participating in the SMI Research Showcase for the first time.
4 In celebration of SMI’s 5th anniversary this year, a commemorative publication, “Building a Singapore Maritime Knowledge Hub”, chronicling SMI’s contributions to Maritime Singapore’s R&D landscape, was launched at the event.
5 “Over the past five years, SMI had undertaken major steps to create a vibrant R&D ecosystem for the maritime and offshore sectors. This publication reflects our journey towards the development of a World Class Maritime Knowledge Hub here in Singapore” said Chairman of SMI Board and Governing Council Mr S.S. Teo.
About the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI)
The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is a joint effort by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Established in Jan 2011, SMI develops strategies and programmes related to the academic, policy and R&D aspects of the industry. Key focus areas include sectors such as port, shipping, maritime services, offshore and marine engineering, subsea and downhole. SMI charts the maritime and offshore research strategy and promotes greater industry-academia R&D collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.
Media Contact:
Jason Lin
Manager, Singapore Maritime Institute
E-mail: jason@maritimeinstitute.sg
Tel: 6270 2824
Annex A
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY MR ESBEN POULSSON,
PRESIDENT, SINGAPORE SHIPPING ASSOCIATION
AT THE SINGAPORE MARITIME INSTITUTE (SMI) SEMINAR 2016,
TUESDAY 19 APRIL 2016, NICOLL ROOM,
SUNTEC SINGAPORE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
Mr S.S. Teo, Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI),
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
A very good morning to one and all,
1 This is the eleventh (11th) Singapore Maritime Week and on this occasion we are also commemorating the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) twentieth (20th) anniversary. It is a great pleasure for me to be part of this event which also celebrates the SMI’s five (5) years of ‘Building a Singapore Maritime Knowledge Hub’. I would like to congratulate the SMI for its contributions towards Maritime R&D in Singapore over these past five (5) years.
Maritime Singapore – Where we are today
2 Collectively, we have sailed quite a distance to where Maritime Singapore is today - a premier international maritime centre (IMC) and global knowledge hub. With a strong cluster of maritime players, Singapore was recognised as the ‘Leading Maritime Capital of the World’ by the Norwegian consulting firm Menon in 2015 .
3 This has not been an easy feat and in fact, a number of other IMCs continue to aspire to reach this position. Singapore has gone beyond its mere geographical trade route advantage to achieve so much more within just a few decades. Not just as a leading hub port for transhipment and logistics, but as an established maritime, legal and financial centre – let alone being the world leader in the construction of sophisticated, state of the art offshore drilling rigs.
4 We must never, however, take these great achievements for granted nor rest on our laurels. Every voyage faces the risk of rogue waves and headwinds, as the current harsh operating environment, especially in the dry bulk and container segments, so amply illustrates.
5 But in times of uncertainty we must remain especially steadfast and be forward looking. Our resilience and future-ready spirit has been Maritime Singapore’s edge – and will in my view continue to be.
Smart Ships – It’s all about adding value
6 A key element in being a future-ready maritime industry is the pursuit of advanced research and technology. Our industry has traditionally focused on optimising existing hardware and operations to, for example, reduce bunker consumption, emissions, marine fouling and many others – as a way to reduce costs. But what we really need is to identify more ways in which to add LONG TERM value, in an industry traditionally focused on short-term ‘’here and now’’ measures.
7 Progress made to date has been largely incremental in the search for greater efficiencies. What we need is a game-changing approach for a new era of shipping and sustainability.
8 Sea Asia’s latest study (conducted in the lead up to Sea Asia 2017) reveals that nine out of ten maritime leaders surveyed support the industry’s move towards smart shipping. Another 81 per cent recognise the importance of Big Data to the future of the shipping and the maritime industry .
9 With enabling digital competencies such as data analytics and robotics, smart ship technologies present an emerging opportunity to change the way ships operate. Migrating from physical ship to digital ship, the last few years have seen ship owners and operators ever more curious about the potential of digitalised data. This has reaped several benefits as analysed data helps to guide decisions and policies to enable evidence-based asset health management and ship performance optimisation.
10 Just like what my good friend Mr Steen Brodsgaard Lund of DNV GL said during last year’s SMI Forum: The data is nothing, it’s the algorithms that matter and allow us to make more intelligent decisions than what we can today. Advanced technological tools need to be coupled with competent and bright talent to further strengthen the sustainability and long-term proposition for maritime businesses.
Competent Talent – We need them
11 This hard fact remains our Achilles’ heel today. The maritime industry is facing a shortage of competent talent and a skilled workforce. The accessible talent pool of seafaring knowledge and experience is shrinking along with naval architecture and other maritime skill sets. This leaves us with a higher risk profile whereby inexperienced personnel are manning and operating ships. Nonetheless, the many initiatives undertaken by the MPA to address this issue – be it Future Ready, Skills Future or other initiatives under Maritime One – I am confident that we are on the right track in this vital area.
12 We should view this situation as a driver for automation and autonomy in the form of intelligent and smart ships. With the removal of people from tasks that are of lower value and dangerous in nature, we can better optimise manpower resource while enhancing productivity and safety.
13 Our vision for autonomous smart ships should not be one that is fully mechanised but one with a human heart. The human element should never be removed entirely from the equation. Instead, it must remain at the core of smart ship technologies and operations.
14 This is similarly reflected in Rolls-Royce’s recently revealed vision of shore-based control centres for remote operations of unmanned fleet . The remote monitoring and control is performed by a minimal team of shore-based professionals comprising of roles and talents that are unconventional in the maritime domain. They may include Network & Communications Specialists, Asset Integrity Engineers and Fleet Data Scientists, which draws upon a very different suite of knowledge and skill sets altogether.
Research & Technology – Deepen and integrate
15 To help us achieve our vision for the future era of smart ships, advanced technologies will be required to create that perfect human-machine interface. Existing broad-based technologies today are highly advanced and accessible. We have seen the impact, for example, of smart phones and the upcoming trend of smart homes and cars. It is time for the maritime community to start embracing the concept of smart ships.
16 Of course, smart ships will bring about a new set of technical, regulatory and even legislative challenges and concerns such as cyber security and potential threats of terrorism, all of which will need to be carefully addressed.
17 We have seen how research & technology has influenced the thinking at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in respect of regulatory requirements. Similarly, Singapore needs to deepen its research capabilities and apply them to the integration of relevant technologies - to address the challenges and needs behind smart ships.
18 Core technologies and their enabling capabilities should be developed closely through the establishment of maritime research centres of excellence, which the SMI has planned for in the near future. These may include technology groups like advanced materials, sensors, robotics, data analytics and communications.
Conclusion
19 Singapore is a research intensive innovation capital in the region. R&D platforms and initiatives like today’s event will help facilitate the coming together of the various players in the maritime community to brainstorm ideas and opportunities. This is exactly what the annual Singapore Maritime Week is all about, as shared by Mr S.S. Teo earlier. Working collaboratively and in a structured and coordinated way will be crucial – and Singapore excels in this approach as we all know so well.
20 I would like to thank the SMI for giving me this kind opportunity to share on the topic of smart ships and how it can add value to the shipping industry with advanced digital competencies. The future looks truly exciting!
21 Thank you.
Annex B
SMI Seminar 2016: Smart Ships
|
Time
|
Programme
|
|
0830 –
0930
|
Registration
& Welcome Coffee/Tea
|
|
0930 – 0940
|
Opening Address
Mr S.S. Teo
Chairman of Board & Governing Council
Singapore
Maritime Institute
|
|
0940 – 1000
|
Keynote Address
Mr Esben Poulsson
President
Singapore
Shipping Association
|
|
1000 – 1025
|
Smart Ships – 21st Century!
Mr Brijesh Tewari
Principal Specialist & Manager, Marine Consultancy
Services
Lloyd’s
Register Asia
|
|
1025 – 1045
|
Smart Ships – Paradigm Shift with Data Analytics
Mr Thong Sew Kait
Department Head, Technical Services - Projects
APL
|
|
1045 –
1115
|
Tea
Break / Launch of SMI Research Showcase April 2016
|
|
1115 – 1130
|
Development Perspectives on Autonomous Shipping
Mr Antti Saurama
Director, Centre for Collaborative Research, Turku School of
Economics
University
of Turku
|
|
1130 – 1145
|
AAWA Initiative project – The New Era of Ship
Intelligence
Mr Markus Laurinen
Project Manager, AAWA Initiative project
Machine
Technology Centre Turku Ltd
|
|
1145 – 1205
|
Enabling Technologies for Future Vessel
Dr Peng Xiaoming
Senior Scientist and Department Head
Institute
for Infocomm Research
|
|
1205 – 1300
|
Panel Discussion
Moderated by
Mr
Heng Chiang Gnee
|
|
1300 –
1400
|
Networking Lunch
|
Annex
C
Shortlisted Research
Projects
SMI Research Showcase,
April 2016
|
S/N
|
Project
Title
|
Project
Investigator
|
Host
Institution
|
|
1
|
Intelligent Power
Management System for Electric Propulsion based Marine Vessels for improving
Reliability, Operational cost, Performance and Efficiency (ROPE) operating
under different operating conditions
|
Associate Professor
Sanjib K. Panda
|
National University of
Singapore
|
|
2
|
Concept and Feasibility
Study of Marine Electrical Power System Architectures and Development of
Advanced Control Strategies for Optimal Performance
|
Associate Professor
Sanjib K. Panda
|
National University of
Singapore
|
|
3
|
Biocide Free
Antifouling Coatings for Maritime and Harbour Applications
|
Dr. Zhen Yongda
|
Singapore Polytechnic
|
|
4
|
Fatigue Life
Prediction Methodology for Offshore Structures, Risers and Pipelines Starting
from Multiple Small Surface Cracks Relevant to Welded Structures
|
Associate Professor
John Pang Hock Lye
|
Nanyang Technological
University
|
|
5
|
Fracture Assessment of
Flawed Girth Welds in Clad Pipelines with Under/Over-Mismatch Weld Strengths
|
Associate Professor Lie
Seng Tjhen
|
Nanyang Technological
University
|
|
6
|
A Practical Method to
Evaluate Highly-Nonlinear Wave Runup on columns and Air-Gap for
Semi-Submersible Platforms in Harsh Wave Environments
|
Associate Professor
Edmond Lo Yat-Mun
|
Nanyang Technological
University
|
|
7
|
Numerical Modeling of
Strong Wave Impact on Deep-sea Semi-Submersible (WID-Sea)
|
Dr. Lou Jing
|
Institute of High
Performance Computing
|
|
8
|
Study on Asian Port
Cities
|
Dr. Sharon Siddique
|
Singapore University
of Technology and Design
|
|
9
|
A framework for
evaluating energy sustainability efforts in maritime terminal operations
|
Assistant Professor Tan
Kar Way
|
Singapore Management
University
|
*Projects are not listed
in any particular ranking of merit
[1] http://www.menon.no/wp-content/uploads/01maritime-capitals-2.pdf
[2] http://www.sea-asia.com/images/downloads/Media%20release_MARITIME_LEADERS.pdf
[3] http://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/yr-2016/pr-2016-03-22-rr-reveals-future-shore-control-centre.aspx
