The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (25 April) said the MarineTech Conference was opened by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport. 

Held from 25 to 26 April 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the conference brings together more than 50 global industry speakers from 16 countries to discuss challenges and innovation opportunities, share insights on emerging technologies, and identify ways to accelerate maritime transformation.  

Topics on smart ports and ships, green and digital shipping corridors, innovation and start-ups, decarbonisation and green technologies, maritime cybersecurity, and technologies to empower seafarers, was discussed across 14 panel and speaker sessions. 

Key overseas speakers include Francis Zachariae, Secretary-General, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), as well as representatives of major shipping companies, innovation and venture capital players and industry associations such as International Association of Ports and Harbours and the Digital Container Shipping Association.

MOU Signings at MarineTech Conference 

MPA and PSA Singapore renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port Technology Research and Development Programme. As part of the MoU, MPA and PSA will each commit $12 million to support transformative R&D projects. 

The conference also hosted the signing of other MoUs and agreements between industry partners including:

• ZEBOX co-innovation agreement with Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, PSA unboXed and Synergy Marine Group to develop game-changing solutions with startups for operational efficiency, assets optimisation and decarbonisation, workflow automation, and future of work;
• Master Agreement Framework for Maritime AI Research Programme led by A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing to drive industry transformation and adoption of maritime AI solutions; and
• MoU by Coastal Sustainability Alliance and its new partners to support decarbonisation of Singapore’s domestic harbour craft sector by developing an electric vessel ecosystem, including charging stations, marine logistics and services, as well as workforce upgrading.

Sea Asia 2023

Sea Asia 2023 was opened today by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and Environment & Ministry of Transport. Organised in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week, Sea Asia is a flagship tradeshow held biennially to provide a platform for industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and explore the latest trends shaping the future of the maritime industry. 

From 25-27 April 2023, the 9th edition of Sea Asia will see over 300 exhibitors from more than 70 participating countries showcasing innovative solutions across the maritime value chain. The event will feature more than 10 national pavilions, as well as zones dedicated to specific areas such as marine fuels and lubricants, decarbonisation solutions, and marine supplies. Within the MarineTech zone, the PIER71™pavilion featured various R&D and technology solutions developed by maritime enterprises, start-ups and technology developers under the PIER71™ programme.

One such exhibitor is SunGreenH2, a Singapore based cleantech start-up that had won a Special Mention in the 2022 edition of PIER71’s™ Smart Port Challenge for its proposal on their hydrogen producing electrolysers. Since then, it has secured opportunities to pilot their high-performance electrolyser on Jurong Island, which is able to produce two times more green hydrogen from purified water at 10% lower energy consumption. Beyond Singapore, the start-up will be deploying their first commercial electrolysers with Spain’s Naturgy Innovahub and has also been invited by the Hamburg Government to demonstrate their electrolyser at the German Aerospace Research Institute ZAL in May 2023. 

The tradeshow will also offer a unique opportunity and space for attendees to participate in knowledge-sharing sessions and dialogues led by industry professionals. Titled “Knowledge Sharing Theatre’, there will be more than 25 presentations and product demonstrations led by exhibitors over three days. 

Port Authorities Chief Information Officers Cybersecurity Network (PACC-Net)

In conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2023, an inaugural table-top exercise (TTX) for the Port Authorities Chief Information Officers Cybersecurity Network (PACC-Net) will be held on 27 April 2023 to test and exercise the information sharing protocols. 

The TTX will involve Chief Information Officers and Chief Information Security Officers from international port operators and authorities including MPA, Montreal Port Authority, National Ports Agency of Morocco, Port Klang Authority, Port of Seattle, and Tanger Med Special Agency (Port Authority). The TTX will simulate a ransomware affecting multiple ports across regions, and PACC-Net members will work out a collaborative response to share critical information early and manage the ransomware.

The proposal for PACC-Net was tabled by MPA at the 5th edition of the Port Authorities Roundtable in Kobe, Japan in 2019 and launched in October 2020. The PACC-Net aims to enhance cybersecurity awareness within the maritime sector and facilitate early sharing of cyber information to counter potential maritime cyber security threats. These collaborations are important as the industry become more digitalised and connected as a cyber incident in one place can quickly impact the supply chain globally.  

Note: The full list of MoUs signed by industry partners during MarineTech Conference can be found here and details on SMW 2023 can be viewed here.   

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 26 April, 2023