Smarter, cleaner, streamlined: Bureau Veritas launches trio of new partnerships at SMW

From Monday 24, to Friday 28 April, 2023, more than 20,000 key players from the 17^th international maritime community came together for Singapore Maritime Week (SMW). This annual gathering is driven by Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), in collaboration with industry stakeholders and research and educational institutions, with the aim of exploring key industry issues and exchanging ideas to make advances in the sector.

This year, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore launched three high-potential collaborations at SMW. Fully embracing this year’s theme, Ambition meets Action, they all share the ultimate aim of accelerating innovation in shipping for greater sustainability, safety and efficiency.

Leveraging artificial intelligence for smarter shipping

At the SMW’s MarineTech Conference on April 25, Bureau Veritas signed a nine-party Master Agreement Framework establishing the Centre for Maritime Digitalisation (C4MD) in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The goal is to advance innovations in computational modelling, simulation and AI for a safe, efficient and more sustainable maritime industry. The new center aims to solve real-world challenges and develop advanced solutions for smart shipping, next generation ports, and decarbonization.

C4MD, which is led by A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), will partner with Institutes of Higher Learning, research entities, industry partners and relevant public sector agencies on collaborative research to co-develop new capabilities across the maritime industry value chain.

Accelerating collaboration and innovation for clean solutions

On the same day, Bureau Veritas announced a second sustainability-focused partnership, with ZEBOX, a global accelerator gathering a network of entrepreneurs, industry leaders and ecosystem experts. Supported by the MPA and Enterprise Singapore, ZEBOX’s fifth hub—based in Singapore and serving the Asia-Pacific region—will drive co-innovation between start-ups and its corporate partners, and address business and sustainability challenges across a range of sectors, including supply chains, logistics, transport and energy.

PSA unboXed, PSA International’s startup arm boasts an impressive line-up of partners. In addition to Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore, the list includes leading ship manager Synergy Marine Group, and ZEBOX founding partner, CMA CGM with its circle of 16 other major partner groups.

Pulling together to digitalize and decarbonize

On the penultimate day of the conference, during the Accelerating Decarbonisation Conference, Bureau Veritas completed its trio of major collaborations with the signature of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to work on maritime digitalization and decarbonization with Singapore's MPA.

Alongside seven other internationally recognized classification societies, Bureau Veritas will work on the development of standards and technical references in areas such as smart and autonomous shipping, cyber security, marine electrification, and zero and low carbon fuels, including methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. The partners aim to create a streamlined recognition process for ships that have obtained class notations to apply for and achieve similar Singapore Registry of Ships SRS notations, and ways to enhance future vessel designs to improve safety, security, and efficiency.

With its participation in this forward-looking event and the announcement of these high-potential partnerships, Bureau Veritas is proud to continue helping future-proof the maritime industry.

“Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore has pioneered the safety and performance of new technologies since 1828, and our mission has always been to support innovators,” said Matthieu de Tugny, President of Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore.

“These collaborations pave new paths to shape a better maritime world for all stakeholders.”