The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and ship classification society, ClassNK, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on maritime technologies research and development (R&D) to enhance ship safety and environmental sustainability, MPA said in its press release.
With the MOU, which is the first to be established between MPA and ClassNK, both organisations will also promote and share maritime thought-leadership on technology through activities such as conferences, workshops and joint R&D projects.
The MOU will cover R&D in the following areas:
-Safe ships: Covering structural integrity and fatigue-related research for safe and reliable construction and operations of ships
-Smart ships: Applying data analytics to assist in real-time anomaly detection of machinery, real-time monitoring of emissions and condition-based monitoring of structures for ship and machinery operations
-Environmentally-friendly ships: Conducting applied research in emission control and alternative fuel engine technologies to reduce emissions
-Marine renewable energy: Developing tropical marine renewable energy test site and tidal energy generation, energy storage systems for shore power supply, material bio-fouling studies and live-monitoring of the maritime ecosystem using telemetry and wireless communications
The MOU was signed by Mr Andrew Tan, MPA Chief Executive, and Mr Yasushi Nakamura, ClassNK Representative Director, Executive Vice President, at the Green & Smart Shipping Seminar organised by ClassNK.
The signing ceremony also marked the opening of the new ClassNK Global Research and Innovation Centre (GRIC), ClassNK's first research center outside of Japan. GRIC will carry out research with industry, academia, and government agencies in Singapore and from around the world on various projects such as the development of an Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS), a feasibility study for marine renewable energy test sites in Singpore, and a pilot scale demonstration for Zero-Emission Desulphurization process for Maritime applications (ZEDSMart).
The MOU signing builds upon recent collaborative projects with ClassNK undertaken in the field of maritime R&D and co-sponsored by MPA under its Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund. These include the 'Real Time Ship Exhaust Gas Monitoring' project to better gauge of the efficacy of emissions abatement technologies and align its performance to meet emission regulations, and the 'Zero-Emission Desulphurisation Process and Pilot Scale Demonstration' project, which seeks to improve current sulphur oxide emission control and management efforts.