Driving the future of maritime: 14th SMI forum explores Digital innovation and green transition
The 14th edition of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Forum successfully concluded yesterday with over 200 industry leaders, researchers, and government representatives gathering to discuss the future of maritime in the face of digital and green transitions. Held under the theme “Navigating the Digital and Green Transition for Maritime,” this year’s SMI Forum spotlighted the role of research, innovation, and industry collaboration in shaping a more sustainable and technologically advanced maritime sector.
Focus Areas for a Sustainable Maritime Future
The Forum focused on two pivotal areas driving the transformation of the maritime industry: leveraging advanced digital technologies and artificial intelligence to boost operational efficiency and industry competitiveness, and adopting sustainable fuel options to accelerate the sector’s transition to a greener future. Interactive panel discussions and research presentations at the SMI Forum featured renowned thought leaders, industry experts, and academia in maritime research. Participants gained insights into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in driving the dual transition towards maritime digitalisation and sustainability.
The event featured a keynote presentation by SMI’s 2024 Distinguished Visitor, Professor Adam Sobey, on “Data-Centric Engineering: New Technologies to Support Efficient Global Shipping.” A leading expert in data-centric engineering, Professor Sobey is the Programme Director at The Alan Turing Institute and Professor of Data Centric Engineering in the Maritime Engineering group at the University of Southampton.
SMI Funds New Research to Advance Safety in Future Fuel Handling and Subsea Anomaly Detection
In addition to the knowledge-sharing sessions, SMI announced the funding award for two projects led by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (ASTAR). One project, titled “Dispersion Analysis and Simulations for Handling (DASH) of Future Fuels,” is led and hosted by ASTAR Institute of High-Performance Computing (ASTAR IHPC). This joint initiative includes other ASTAR research institutes and public research partners such as CNRS@CREATE, the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), and the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The project focuses on developing a multi-fidelity planning tool to predict the dispersion of ammonia and methanol in the event of accidental leakages during bunkering operations. The tool will integrate dispersion analysis, consequence simulations, and real-time environmental data to create a safety and risk management system that provides insights into the behavior of these next-generation fuels.
“ASTAR IHPC is dedicated to developing next-generation tools to improve the design and safety of multi-fuel bunkering operations. Through close collaboration with our partners, we aim to equip industry stakeholders with advanced simulation tools that assess potential leak scenarios and enhance safety planning, operations, and emergency response,” said Dr. Su Yi, Executive Director of ASTAR IHPC.
SMI also awarded funding for the project “Subsea Cable Sensing for Anomaly Detection and Tide Sensing,” led by ASTAR Institute for Infocomm Research (ASTAR I2R). This collaborative project, involving the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Singtel, and TMSI NUS, aims to develop distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology for subsea fibre optic cables. DAS enables real-time detection and localization of disturbances, with potential to measure tide levels along subsea cables within Singapore waters. By analyzing backscattered light in optical fibres to continuously detect and track changes, DAS enhances the resilience of subsea infrastructure and environmental monitoring, enabling greater security, environmental protection, and effective long-term planning.
“ASTAR I2R is committed to advancing distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology in the maritime industry through close collaboration with our partners,” said Dr. Sun Sumei, Executive Director of ASTAR I2R.
Dr. Chen Xinwei, Deputy Executive Director of SMI, said, “Decarbonisation and sustainability are critical challenges facing the maritime industry. SMI is pleased to support the DASH project with funding, highlighting our commitment to advancing the safe handling of alternative fuels—an essential step in achieving the sector’s decarbonisation objectives.”
Collaborate to Innovate
The 14th SMI Forum concluded with a strong call for collaboration and innovation among all maritime stakeholders to address the challenges and harness the opportunities of the digital and green transition. By uniting the expertise of industry, research institutions, and government, the sector can drive innovation and advance sustainable solutions to ensure its long-term resilience and competitiveness. To continue the dialogues and build on the connections established at the SMI Forum, attendees are encouraged to join the inaugural Singapore Maritime Research Conference, scheduled for 26 and 27 March during Singapore Maritime Week 2025.
SMI is a joint effort by the MPA, the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), and the Singapore Economic Development Board. Established in April 2011, SMI develops strategies and programmes to achieve its mission with key focus areas in sectors such as port, shipping, and maritime services. SMI charts the maritime research strategy and promotes greater industry-academia research and development (R&D) collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.
Through a whole-of-government approach, SMI drives initiatives with industry-wide impacts to enhance the overall competitiveness of the local maritime industry and to strengthen R&D capabilities in support of Singapore as a global maritime knowledge hub.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 46 No.6 Issue last December 31, 2024.
