The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop 5G mobile network capabilities in the maritime sector to enhance digital connectivity at the Port of Singapore.
Full maritime 5G coverage at major berths, fairways, terminals, and boarding grounds is scheduled to be delivered by mid-2025, according to a recent statement.
MPA Singapore claims that there is the potential to unlock a full range of maritime solutions leveraging complementary technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet-of-things, big data, drones, and autonomous vehicles, to improve safety, efficiency and effectiveness in maritime operations.
“Digitalisation continues to shape and transform the maritime industry, acting as a key driver for global trends such as logistics and supply chain efficiency and decarbonisation,” said Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of MPA.
“MPA is taking the lead to help build a robust digital maritime ecosystem for Maritime Singapore, with fast, secure and high capacity 5G connectivity as one of the cornerstones to support real-time data exchanges in the maritime domain. Maritime 5G will enable our global hub port and International Maritime Centre to remain at the forefront of the competition,” she added.
It should be noted that MPA’s enterprise-wide incident response management and security enforcement capabilities will be further enhanced through the deployment of the Integrated Port Operations C3 (Command, Control and Communications) system (IPOC system), according to an announcement.
Finally, a key capability that will be developed as part of phase 2 of digitalPORT@SGTM is the Active Anchorage Management System (AAMS), which uses various data sources to optimise the allocation of limited berthing space for vessels. Additionally, it ensures the vessel is safely moored taking into account various conditions including wind, tide, depth and proximity to hazards and is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2023, according to MPA.
