The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a 5G mobile network at the Port of Singapore.

Full maritime 5G coverage will be deployed in major anchorages, fairways, terminals, and boarding grounds.

Delivery is scheduled to be delivered by mid-2025.

The announcement was made as part of the MPA’s 9^th edition of the International Safety@Sea Week, launched by Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance.

A 5G network has the potential to unlock a full suite of maritime solutions leveraging complementary technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, drones and autonomous vehicles, to improve safety, effectiveness and efficiencies in maritime operations.

Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said: “Digitalisation continues to shape and transform the maritime industry, acting as a key driver for global trends such as logistics and supply chain efficiency and decarbonisation.

“MPA is taking the lead to help build a robust digital maritime ecosystem for Maritime Singapore, with fast, secure and high capacity 5G connectivity as one of the cornerstones to support real-time data exchanges in the maritime domain.”

Elsewhere in the port, MPA’s incident response management and safety enforcement capabilities across the full spectrum of operations will be further strengthened through the development of the Integrated Port Operations C3 (Command, Control and Communications) system (IPOC system).

READ: Port of Tyne to install new 5G Private Network

The system is developed in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and will enhance situational awareness and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of incident responses.

The IPOC system will be progressively phased in from 2023 to 2026 as MPA upgrades its systems.

The port will also further develop its online booking and clearance platform, digitalPORT@SG.

The second phase of the port will include the Active Anchorage Management System (AAMS).

The AAMS taps on various data sources to optimise allocation of limited anchorage space for vessels. It ensures that the vessel is anchored safely taking into consideration various conditions including the wind, tide, depth and proximity to hazards.

The AAMS is scheduled to be launched in in the third quarter of 2023.

Earlier this month the MPA announced that three more berths will come into operation at Singapore’s Tuas Port by the end of the 2022.

Verizon Business and the Port of Virginia announced their commitment launch private 5G network at one of Virginia’s main container terminals earlier this year.

Stakeholders at the Port of Rotterdam will be able to participate in a new multi-user quantum network for communication across the area.

Q*Bird, a spinoff from QuTech (a research institute into quantum computing between TNO and TU Delft) is the first to deploy a new type of secure quantum network that can connect multiple users via a central hub.

The result is an untappable internet connection between users across the port area.

The central hub of the system will be situated at Port of Rotterdam Authority and will connect users to the port’s data sharing platform, Portbase, and two or three other maritime logistic companies that are based in the port of Rotterdam.

The setup enables connecting all end-users with a secure, untappable connection.

The first four end-users can be expanded later to many more. The users will share keys that are generated using quantum technology that they will use to encrypt messages using traditional technology.

READ: Quantum computing to change world of data processing, says PSA

The strength of this type of setup is the ease by which it can be expanded to many more users, and the relative low cost of expansion.

Upon completion, Portbase can be sure its communication line has not been tampered with while connecting with, for example, other port authorities.

Later in the project, end-users can connect to the system, such as third party customers, suppliers, and emergency services.

Securing the Port of Rotterdam’s communication systems, which are pivotal for the movement of around 15 million TEU yearly, will improve the safety of tens of thousands of sea ships yearly.

“Malignant tapping the communication systems between parties can lead to significant financial losses, disruption of critical business operation, or physical harm,” the port wrote in its release.

“A quantum communication infrastructure will ensure an untappable connection and will improve the logistics chains of which Rotterdam is a part of, even more so a vital infrastructure on the European continent.”

Previously a team of scientists and engineers at QuTech had demonstrated the alternative, untappable method for sending encrypted information. QuTech then launched its commercial product, Q*Bird.

“Our technology is based on a special implementation of quantum key distribution (QKD) that uses a central hub to connect users that want to exchange secure communications,” explained Q*Bird’s Co-Founder and Director Remon Berrevoets.

“That means that it is possible to implement a quantum network in a cost-effective way, scalable to many end-users, and using mostly off-the-shelf equipment.”

Funding for this project has been provided for two-thirds through the Quantum Delta NL SME programme and one-third by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

Hutchison Ports and Terminal Investment Limited Sàrl (TiL), the terminal investment company of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), will build a new container terminal at the Port of Rotterdam.