Digitalisation in maritime aims to improve productivity and operational efficiency while potentially reducing costs. Do you think that digital or technological initiatives and solutions are able to tackle other big themes in maritime such as decarbonisation, sustainability and cyber security?

I am not sure about tackling. It certainly can be an effective tool in some instances, but I would see them all as interlinked issues. Let me give you an example. Maritime businesses may leverage on digital tools such as sensors, to measure and record carbon emissions. And the ability to measure your carbon emissions is going to be crucial for managing it well.

You might wonder if there are any downsides to digitalisation, and the short answer is yes. The more interconnected and digitized enterprise systems onshore are, as well as with shipboard systems, the more vulnerable we will be to cyber breaches. There is a need to raise awareness and to raise the cybersecurity readiness of maritime companies.  At DTC, we set up a cybersecurity sub-committee to look into helping our members and the maritime industry at large to be more ready on this front.

How do you see the maritime landscape shifting in the next 5 to 10 years with the advent of new digital and technological solutions?

The pandemic has shown us that the maritime industry must continue to embrace digitization to overcome any disruption to its operations so as to remain resilient. The next frontier for maritime digitalization and technologies will be looking at how it can contribute towards a low to zero carbon maritime future, while allowing companies to remain efficient.

Ship owners and managers are for instance looking at how data analytics and digital twining technologies can work with ongoing technical and operational vessel management to improve a fleet’s carbon emissions and performance. On demand, 3D printing of marine spare parts is set to improve efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of maritime supply chains.

The success of Maritime Singapore’s digital transformation journey will depend on our ability to develop talents within our industry and to attract talent from outside of the industry who can bring in the much-needed digital skillset. I am happy to note that SMF spearheads programmes in this regard. I would also add that to complement this, we need to encourage those of us who are already in the industry to embrace a ‘forward looking’ mindset and actively scan the horizon for digitalisation trends and acquire relevant digital skills.