The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will be embarking on several new initiatives as part of continued efforts to enhance safety at sea, especially in the Port of Singapore.
A new maritime research Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) will also be set up by Singapore Maritime Institute and Singapore Polytechnic to enhance navigational safety. These were announced by Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Health, Dr Lam Pin Min, at the official opening of the International Safety@Sea Conference at the Marina Mandarin Hotel this morning, 20 June 2018.
2 Singapore Polytechnic’s CEMS will focus on research and innovations that enhance navigational safety. It will contribute to the training and development of future-ready seafarers, through the use of emerging digital technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality.
3 To capture vessel movements more efficiently and accurately, MPA will upgrade the Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) this year. This includes improvements to the resolution of CCTV and video analytics capabilities, and expansion of the data bandwidth between the VTIS and radar stations to enhance situational awareness through ensuring high resolution radar plots.
4 To facilitate real-time data transfer between shore and ships in the port, MPA will be investing $500,000 in the development of the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) over the next three years. This is part of the Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System R&D project at the MPA Living Lab. With greater data exchange between shore and ships, predictive analysis relating to navigational safety such as traffic hotspots and collision risks could be made at shore and shared with ships. The VDES is currently being developed and prototyped. Field trials will be carried out under the MPA Living Lab from the second half of this year across a range of e-Navigation and digital applications.
International Safety@Sea Week 2018
5 Organised by MPA, the third International Safety@Sea Conference was held as part of the International Safety@Sea Week. Over 250 international maritime professionals attended the two-day conference, themed Towards Safer Navigation – Lessons, Insights and Trends, to share best practices, exchange ideas and collaborate to enhance maritime safety.
6 The first keynote speaker Dr Heike Deggim, Director, Maritime Safety Division from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), who is in Singapore under the MPA Maritime Visitors Programme, spoke on key areas the IMO intends to enhance maritime safety in based on current and future industry trends. The second keynote speaker CDR Hideki Noguchi, Chairman, E-Navigation Committee, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), presented on the work of the IALA e-Navigation Committee. Other distinguished representatives from international organisations, research institutions and institutes of higher learning, and government agencies also spoke at the three plenary sessions.
7 Earlier in the week, MPA launched a refreshed Safety@Sea Singapore Campaign and announced that it will co-fund the upgrading of new buckle-type lifejackets and customised lifejacket receptacles on board all MPA-licensed regional ferries to enhance passenger safety. These ferries carried 6.5 million passengers on Singapore-Malaysia and Singapore-Indonesia routes in 2017.
8 MPA organises the Safety@Sea Week annually to enhance maritime safety by raising safety awareness and instilling a safety-first culture. This year’s programme runs from 18 to 22 June 2018. In addition to the conference, there are also pre- and post-conference workshops and industry visits as part of the week of activities.