The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is co-organising a workshop with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) to support the operationalisation of e-navigation solutions. This is the first workshop since Singapore’s election to the IALA Council in 2018.
E-navigation aims to make marine navigation safer and marine communications more reliable, as well as to reduce accidents and damage to the environment.
Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said that:
As one the world’s busiest hub ports with some 1,000 vessels in our port at any one time, Singapore places a very strong emphasis on navigational safety and continually invests in efforts and innovation in this area. Our election into the IALA Council has presented more opportunities for us to work closely with key players around the world, and we look forward to collaborating with like-minded partners under the broader framework of the IMO to support the implementation of e-navigation
The MPA-IALA e-navigation workshop will take place from 8 to 10 April, and will discuss and develop options to test and operationalise e-navigation solutions. An implementation roadmap will also be established to guide the development and of the tasks to achieve operational capabilities.
In addition, MPA is supporting a project under its Maritime Transformation Programme, with the aim to create a satellite Very High Frequency-based data exchange system (VDES) with a global coverage. This includes a partnership between A*STAR’s Institute of Infocomm Research, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and industry partners.
VDES will complement the current Automatic Identification System (AIS) and enable two-way data exchanges between shore and sea. VDES will also help unlock new applications such as Maritime Single Window and digital maritime services, in order to improve safety and security at sea, and enhance operational efficiency on ships and in the port.
Moreover, Singapore, through MPA, collaborated with Norway in the Secure, Efficient and Safer Maritime Traffic Management in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SESAME Straits) e-navigation testbed research project. The goal of SESAME Straits was to develop and validate new operating concepts as well as innovative solutions, for bringing greater shared situational awareness and collaborative decision making between ship and shore-based personnel.
What is more, SESAME Solution II has been launched to realise e-navigation concepts and developments, as aligned to IMO’s e-navigation Strategy Implementation Plan (SIP) Solutions. Together with local partners from research institutes and industry, MPA will renew its partnership with the Norwegian Coastal Administration, Kongsberg Norcontrol Pte Ltd and other members of the Norwegian consortium on this endeavour.
Continuing, aspiring to boost international partnerships on e-navigation development work and to support the improvement of safety and security of maritime navigation, ICS, and its two key regional partners,the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) and the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
According to the MOU, the three associations will partner on matters affecting the interests of shipowners and operators, including technical and operational matters and promotion of best practices throughout the industry such as e-navigation solutions.
