Research teams at the NUS College of Design and Engineering (CDE) developing advanced technologies and systems for the growth of Singapore's maritime industry have received a major boost with announcements of new funding totalling almost S$13 million.
The funds will be used to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge digital twin and AI technologies in the sector, as well as develop smart technologies to power next generation port systems that will underpin Singapore's future global competitiveness.
The funding was announced among a series of initiatives unveiled at the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Forum 2022, held at Singapore's Orchard Hotel on October 11.
Innovative solutions for next generation ports
The largest portion of the new funds - S$10 million provided by the SMI - will go to the Centre of Excellence in Modelling and Simulation for Next Generation Ports (C4NGP), based at the CDE.
Professor Chew Ek Peng, from the CDE's Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management and Director of the C4NGP, said the financing would be used to develop advanced modelling, simulation and optimisation capabilities for next generation ports and maritime systems.
Among the landmark projects the research will focus on is developing advanced port digital twinning technologies in support of Singapore's future fully automated Tuas Mega Port.
"We will deepen our port digital twin capabilities to enable data-driven and AI modelling to tackle real-time operations challenges, and translate our research outcomes into innovative solutions to help companies in the maritime industry improve their operations and enhance their global competitiveness," Prof Chew said.
"In addition, C4NGP will play an active role in building a vibrant ecosystem to spur innovation, talent development, foster industry partnerships, and strengthen technology transfer in the maritime sector."
The new injection of funds marks a continuation of the successful partnership between NUS and SMI, which first established the C4NGP in 2018 with an initial investment of $18 million in the Centre.
The agreement on the new funding was signed at the SMI Forum by Professor Chan Eng Soon, Director of Research Administration at the NUS Office of the Deputy President (Research and Technology), and Mr Tan Cheng Peng, Executive Director of SMI. The agreement was witnessed by Singapore Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance Mr Chee Hong Tat.
Using AI to boost maritime operations
It was also announced at the forum that two NUS research teams have also been awarded research grants, jointly funded by SMI and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions to enhance maritime operations.
One team will work with industry collaborator, Kongsberg Digital, to use AI to estimate and predict ship fuel consumption and emissions.
The research team is led by Professor Meng Qiang from the CDE's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Presidential Young Professor You Yang from the Department of Computer Science at NUS Computing.
It has received a grant of approximately S$1.18 million for the two-year project which will provide valuable managerial insights on energy-saving devices for ship operators.
Another NUS team, meanwhile, has received funds to support its work developing an AI tool for the estimation and classification of vessel risk.
The team says their research will assist stakeholders such as charterers, ship owners and managers, ports and terminals, and insurers to understand the risk profile of different vessels, enabling them to make informed commercial decisions and mitigate maritime accident losses.
The project, which will receive approximately S$1.43 million in funding, is a collaboration with the Institute of High Performance Computing under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and RightShip, the world's largest third party maritime due diligence organisation.
The NUS team behind this project is also led by Prof Meng from the CDE's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
