Singapore Maritime Institute awards USD 17 million in funds to 10 R&D projects

Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) on Wednesday (8 November) said it has awarded SGD 23 million (USD 17 million) worth of funding to more than 10 maritime research and development projects in 2023 including new crew training methodologies for vessels that will run on alternative bunker fuels. 

Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) at Singapore Polytechnic received an award of SGD 10 million for a second funding period of five years, SMI chairman Professor Low Teck Seng shared at the SMI Forum on 6 November. 

In Phase 2, CEMS aims to establish the first dedicated research platform for mixed environment operations for manned and remote/autonomous ships in Southeast Asia. The Centre also seeks to be the first in the world to deploy artificial intelligence into navigational training and assessment to enhance the competencies of future-ready seafarers. 

“CEMS will develop new training methodologies by infusing multisensory elements into Mixed Reality (MR) and Extend Reality (XR). This will ensure a smooth skill transition to handle new and emerging fuels such as methanol, ammonia, and electric vessels,” SMI said. 

Further, to support the net zero goals for Maritime Singapore, SMI awarded funding to research projects which are aimed at decarbonising maritime operations. 

The projects include the research on “Mitigation technology and environmental impact from ammonia bunkering release” led by the Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) at NTU, as well as the project on “Advanced Modelling and Simulation of Future Harbour Craft Electrification Standards for Singapore” by the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), A*STAR.

Related: Singapore: SMI funding to research projects includes ammonia bunkering
Related: Singapore Maritime Institute expands study on ammonia bunkering 

Photo credit: Singapore Maritime Institute
Published: 9 November, 2023