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MPA Singapore signs multiple MOUs to drive innovation, digitalisation, automation and human capital development

MPA Singapore signs multiple MOUs to drive innovation

At the launch of Singapore’s Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map, five Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and various partners to underscore the collective commitment of stakeholders to drive innovation, productivity and human capital development in the transformation of Maritime Singapore.

Boosting participation of startups in maritime industry

MPA and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, signed an MOU for a period of three years to jointly execute the Maritime Technology Acceleration Programme (MTAP). It aims to encourage Singapore’s maritime industry to accelerate innovation, experimentation and venture into adjacent/new growth areas through working with tech start-ups.

The collaboration will include a residency partnership at Block 71 within the JTC Launchpad @ one-north, and both parties will jointly organise activities under the MTAP.

One of the core activities is Smart Port Challenge (SPC), which aims to attract start-ups to tackle challenges in the maritime industry. The SPC is an annual competition that discovers and attracts global start-ups to tackle challenges in the port, shipping and maritime logistics domain put forward by maritime corporates. Start-ups will be connected to participating industry partners through a series of ideation workshops. The next SPC is expected to be launched in April 2018 during Singapore Maritime Week.

Shortlisted start-ups from the SPC will develop their prototypes through a 10-week curriculum. They will spend this time contextualising, developing and enhancing their prototypes, augmented with mentorship and training. At the end of the 10 weeks, start-ups will pitch their solutions at a demo day to a judging panel and successful start-ups will be provided grants to carry out proof-of-concept or product development projects with industry partners.

Ecosystem building activities will be organised to increase awareness among start-up communities on the opportunities in maritime and port industry, as well as increase interactions and collaborations between maritime corporates and start-ups. There will be a series of ‘Kopi-chat’ sessions and workshops, co-organised by MPA and NUS Enterprise throughout the year, to encourage corporate innovation adoption amongst maritime corporates.

Digitalisation of trade and maritime documentation

A 3-way MOU has been signed between MPA, Singapore Customs and SSA (Singapore Shipping Association) to jointly look into the digitalisation of trade and maritime documentation in the industry. Through this collaboration, the parties aim to promote digitalisation, by showcasing the value gained through productivity, time and cost savings.

The focus areas of this MOU will include collaboration with multiple industry stakeholders to digitalise the documentation required across the maritime industry and leveraging suitable technologies such as distributed ledger technology or blockchain to achieve greater assurance of trust and integrity of the shipping documentation passing through the supply chain players.

The parties to the MOU will also work on the development of standards for the digitalisation of maritime-related documentation with industry partners. MPA, Singapore Customs and SSA, together with the partners in the maritime industry will work closely together to identify and prioritise relevant maritime-related documentation for digitalisation and one such key document is the bill of lading (“-BL”). They will also drive the development of a supporting legal and governance framework. The outcome of the digitalisation efforts of the BL will be implemented through the National Trade Platform to leverage the efforts to reach out to the wider trade and supply chain community to promote the adoption of eBL.

Mr. Ho Chee Pong, Director-General, Singapore Customs, said, “The MOU signifies Singapore Customs’ commitment in working with the public and private sectors to enhance cross-border trade efficiency and facilitate more seamless data exchange. Implemented through the National Trade Platform, the initiative to digitalise the BL will leverage technology to bring about greater convenience to maritime industry players and productivity gains for businesses. Singapore Customs is excited to embark on the digital transformation journey with our maritime partners and to realise the vision of the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map.”

Robotic process automation technology in the ship agency sector

Ship agencies are important to ship owners and operators in coordinating critical commercial functions and fulfilling a wide range of essential services such as port and crew clearances. As part of the co-operative efforts to improve productivity in the ship agency sector and transform the roles of ship agents to take on higher-value jobs in future, MPA, the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and Glee Trees Pte. Ltd. have signed an MOU on a proof-of-concept (POC) for the development of a shipping agency tool.

The proposed shipping agency tool will be using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to allow ship agencies to automate manual processes such as data entry and validation to reduce the time-intensive and repetitive nature of existing workflows. The POC will be initiated jointly with several ship agencies and upon successful conclusion, could be rolled out to other ship agencies subsequently in need of such a solution.

“SSA is pleased to be part of this national narrative which recommends that ship agencies in Singapore move towards an Excellence Model. Automated robotic intelligence that leverage on both structured and unstructured data to streamline job processes is a welcome initiative to transform the agency model. This transformation will facilitate more retention of talent, and also paves the way for existing employees to develop new skillsets in data analytics. At the same, it will enable the sector to attract more talent into the industry,” commented Mr. Esben Poulsson, President of SSA.

Developing human capital

Under a tripartite 5-year MOU between MPA, Jurong Port Pte Ltd (JP) and the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), the parties will collaborate to equip port employees with future-ready skills to enhance capabilities, increase workplace safety and productivity to support JP’s transformation into a next generation multi-purpose port. The MOU, which will last for five years, will see MPA, JP and NTWU work together to build competencies of port employees through practical and immersive experiences such as internship, work-study programmes and overseas training attachments. The parties will also leverage the Jurong Port Academy to deliver technical training to its workforce and groom future industry leaders in support of the next generation multipurpose port.

Another 5-year, 4-party MOU between MPA, PSA Corporation Limited, Singapore Port Workers Union (SPWU) and Port Officers’ Union (POU), the parties will work on a host of human capital development initiatives to support the transformation towards the next generation container port. The MOU, which will last for 5 years, will cover training and development of port employees, enhancement of capabilities, and outreach efforts to elevate the profile of maritime careers. These initiatives will help equip port employees with vital new competencies, and attract youth and mid-careerists into the port sector.

Featured image: Zairon/ CC BY-SA 4.0

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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