Singapore Maritime Institute Memorandum of Understandings with Kongsberg Digital, RightShip and Wärtsilä to Advance Maritime Artificial Intelligence Research in Singapore

Under this agreement, SMI and the industry partners will:

- Promote data-driven research and innovation in the maritime industry
- The industry partners will support SMI’s call for proposals under the Maritime AI R&D programme; to identify industry challenges that can be resolved through data-driven tools and applications and to avail relevant sanitised data to resolve the industry challenges.


The Maritime AI R&D Programme was established following recommendations from SMI’s International Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting which convened in March 2021. The programme hopes to address industry-wide gaps and concerns arising from increased use of automation and autonomy in the maritime industry such as data quality and integrity, systems security and integration and the need to build up talent for modelling, simulation and AI for the maritime domain. The programme also aims to develop new algorithms, tools and applications that can be utilised by the industry to enhance decision-making, support the drive towards sustainability and optimise operations.


Quotes:

Mr Tan Cheng Peng, Executive Director of SMI said, “The digital transformation of the maritime industry has accelerated in the last few years. With the vast amount of data available now, it is opportune for the industry to harness technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence to further optimise operations and enhance productivity. The new Maritime AI R&D programme will help to support this transformation and I am glad to have like-minded partners, Kongsberg Digital AS, RightShip and Wärtsilä Voyage Limited, to come onboard the journey with us.”

Hege Skryseth, President, Kongsberg Digital said, “Digitising the maritime industry is becoming increasingly important to stay competitive while at the same time reduce emissions in shipping. Kongsberg Digital is honored to be recognised by SMI as a trusted and reliable partner, and we are excited to support SMI in the Maritime Artificial Intelligence R&D Programme. The foundation of digitalisation at scale starts with access to quality data, contextualisation and standardisation. Kongsberg Digital will through this program contribute with advice and competence. In addition, we will facilitate access to structured and contextualised data through our data infrastructure Vessel Insight and provide insight and

access to the Kognifai Services. Through our Kognifai Marketplace, SMI Cohorts can ultimately scale their applications and reach a bigger market. We are looking forward to contributing to this journey pushing the industry to a higher level of digitalisation.”

Steen Lund, RightShip CEO said: “The maritime industry is experiencing a tectonic shift, driven by the need to urgently decarbonise and unlock maximum efficiencies through digitalisation and innovation. SMI’s new Maritime AI R&D program comes at an opportune time, with us seeking to accelerate our industry contribution, primarily at our Singapore-based innovation hub. This MOU enables the maritime ecosystem to harness our expertise, which has been at the centre of maritime technology adoption since RightShip was founded 20 years ago. Our digital Platform built on robust cloud technology harnesses the power of data science and AI to deliver outcomes to support a maritime industry that causes zero harm. Our ambition is to collaborate with SMI and IHLs in Singapore to further accelerate adoption of ground-breaking research for the maritime industry in the domain of AI.”

Chris Chung, Director, Ecosystem Development at Wärtsilä Voyage, said “This MoU with SMI is a collaboration between strategic partners, academia, and innovation enablers. Maritime by nature expands borders and boundaries. We will collaborate to challenge algorithmic AI bias or ‘data bias’ and to ensure it is mitigated to drive impact beyond Singapore’s waters, and contribute to solving real world challenges globally.”

About the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI)

The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is a joint effort by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Established in April 2011, SMI develops strategies and programmes to achieve its mission with key focus areas in sectors such as port, shipping and maritime services. SMI charts the maritime research strategy and promotes greater industry-academia research and development (R&D) collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.

Through a whole-of-government approach, SMI drives initiatives with industry-wide impacts to enhance the overall competitiveness of the local maritime industry, and to strengthen research and development (R&D) capabilities in support of Singapore as a global maritime knowledge hub.

For more information, please visit www.maritimeinstitute.sg

About Kongsberg Digital

Kongsberg Digital, a subsidiary of KONGSBERG, is a provider of next-generation software and digital solutions, to customers within maritime, oil and gas, and renewables and utilities. The company consists of more than 500 software experts with leading competence within the internet of things, smart data, artificial intelligence, maritime simulation, automation and autonomous operations. Kongsberg Digital is the group-wide center of digital expertise for the KONGSBERG group.

KONGSBERG

KONGSBERG (OSE-ticker: KOG) is an international, leading global technology corporation delivering mission-critical systems and solutions with extreme performance for customers that operate under extremely challenging conditions. We work with nations, businesses and research environments to push the boundaries of technology development in industries such as space, offshore and energy, merchant marine, defence and aerospace, and more. KONGSBERG has about 11,000 employees located in more than 40 countries, creating a total revenue of NOK 25.6bn in 2020.

Follow us on: kongsberg.com, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

About RightShip

Established in 2001, RightShip is the world’s biggest third party maritime due diligence organisation, providing expertise in global safety, sustainability and social responsibility practises. Founded with the mission to drive operational improvements in the global shipping industry, more than 3,000 people use RightShip’s due diligence, environmental and inspections services to help them manage risk and improve overall maritime safety standards.

For more information, please visit https://www.rightship.com/

About Wärtsilä Voyage Limited

Wärtsilä Voyage transforms how vessels perform their voyage by leveraging the latest digital technologies to deliver a step-change in safety, efficiency, reliability, and emissions. We are committed to creating a Smart Marine Ecosystem, whereby every vessel can connect to digital services that make voyaging safer and greener. With the broadest Smart Marine portfolio in the market, we are well-positioned to lead the industry towards becoming digitally connected across the entire value chain and to be the first partner of choice when leveraging the latest digital technologies.

For more information, please visit https://www.wartsila.com/marine/voyage

For media queries, please contact:

SMI Media Contact

Ms Jacqueline Goh

Singapore Maritime Institute

Mobile: (65) 9228 9032

Email: jacqueline@maritimeinstitute.sg

Kongsberg Media Contact

Mr Morten Hansen

Marketing Director, Kongsberg Digital

Tel: +47 940 50 916

Email: morten.hansen@kdi.kongsberg.com

RightShip Media Contact

Claudia Norrgren

Head of Marketing & Communications

Tel: +44 (0) 208 059 8871

Email: Claudia.Norrgren@rightship.com

Wärtsilä Media Contact

Mr Andreas Bodmann
Head of Marketing, Wärtsilä Voyage
Tel: +49 1721649990
Email: andreas.bodmann@wartsila.com

Ms Iana Avdeeva
Communications Manager, Wärtsilä Voyage
Tel: +358 50 434 4104
Email: iana.avdeeva@wartsila.com