Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore – ‘digitalPORT@SG’ – Singapore’s maritime single window system to improve port efficiency

October 30, 2019

DPM Heng speaking to global maritime executives and thought leaders at GMF's Annual Summit in Singapore

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat encourages global maritime leaders to take greater collective action to drive digitalisation and sustainability

More than 200 high-level maritime industry leaders, experts, policy and decision makers from 37 countries convened in Singapore to discuss key opportunities and long-term challenges for the global maritime industry at the two-day Global Maritime Forum (GMF) Annual Summit. During the opening plenary this morning, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Heng Swee Keat, outlined how the global maritime industry could take collective action for the future, including renewing the commitment to rules-based multilateralism, advocating maritime sustainability and fostering greater digital connectivity within the maritime value chain.

At the event, DPM Heng announced the launch of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) ‘digitalPORT@SG’, a digital Portal for One-stop Regulatory Transactions, which is Singapore’s maritime single window system that will serve as a one-stop portal for maritime regulatory and port services transactions. It will be developed in two phases:

Phase 1 – users can obtain approval for all arriving and departing ships from three public agencies – MPA, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority and the National Environment Agency – through a single portal. The portal will consolidate up to 16 separate forms into a single application. This is expected to save the shipping industry an estimated 100,000 man-hours annually. digitalPORT@SG will also have data exchange with port community systems such as Portnet and Jurong Port Online to receive relevant information including declaration on dangerous goods (DG) operations at the port terminals. The trial, which has started since 1 October 2019 for more than 10 companies, will be progressively rolled out to the industry from December 2019.
Phase 2 – the system will be enhanced to also serve as a single digital shopfront for booking terminal and marine services, facilitating just-in-time (JIT) operations for optimal vessel passage planning within Singapore port. These enhancements are expected to be operational from 2021.

MPA-DNV GL MoU to spearhead Maritime Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation

DPM Heng is also Special Guest, joining Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health, to witness the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA and Mr Remi Eriksen, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of DNV GL. DNV GL is a leading provider of classification services that invests in maritime R&D activities and collaborates with the industry and research community to develop insights into future regulations and upcoming technologies for the industry. The MoU maps out a three-year R&D collaboration in the key areas of decarbonisation and digital transformation for sustainable and smart maritime ecosystems including:

New maritime business and operation models utilising additive manufacturing for ship spares and blockchain technologies for port and shipping processes;
Market and technical feasibility research of low and zero carbon ship fuels such as Bio-LNG, as well as battery and battery-hybrid for short-sea applications;
Autonomous and remote controlled ships as well as shore-based operation and control centres; and
Curate maritime-related thought leadership forums to foster closer collaboration and exchange of views between public and private sector.

At the event, MPA, together with the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and DNV GL also concluded the market feasibility study on additive manufacturing for 100 most commonly ordered marine parts that can guide industry stakeholders to print, test and install selected parts on ships.

Quote by Ms Quah Ley Hoon, MPA Chief Executive: “The operating environment ahead for the maritime industry will be defined by three trends – digitalisation, disruption and decarbonisation. The unprecedented pace of change we face today would affect maritime trade flows, transform business models and impact our collective commitment to sustainability. These demands present the global maritime community with opportunities to come together and cooperate on these issues. MPA is happy to host the Global Maritime Forum’s Annual Summit this year and share Singapore’s perspectives. We will continue to drive innovation to take Maritime Singapore forward by facilitating data-sharing, readying our maritime supply chain systems for the future and pushing for closer partnerships with the industry and research communities.”

Quote by Mr Remi Eriksen, Group President & CEO of DNV GL: “Decarbonisation and digitalisation are two important trends shaping the maritime industry. This agreement highlights the emphasis that MPA Singapore and DNV GL place on technological innovation and by working together we will unlock the potential of low and zero carbon shipping, autonomy as wells as smart port ecosystems.”

MPA-DNV GL MoU DPM Heng is special guest, joining Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health, to witness the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MPA and DNV GL