Opening Remarks by Senior Minister of State for Transport Mr Chee Hong Tat at the Launch of the Voyager Living Lab

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.     Thank you for inviting me today and congratulations on the launch of Voyager Living Lab in Singapore. I have spoken on several occasions about Singapore’s aspiration to be the Silicon Valley for maritime technology, or MarineTech.

2.     We want to provide a thriving MarineTech ecosystem bringing together maritime companies, solution providers, and talent to develop innovative solutions for the future. Voyager Worldwide is an excellent example of how this can be achieved.

3.     Voyager is a global leader in MarineTech, offering technological solutions to meet the navigation and maritime information needs of more than 1,000 shipping companies and more than 10,000 vessels worldwide. We were heartened when Voyager chose to establish its global HQ in Singapore in 2020, given Voyager’s potential synergies with other stakeholders in the MarineTech ecosystem. Voyager also has deep expertise in vessel navigation and voyage planning. By combining artificial intelligence, automation, and data analytics, Voyager’s technology connects ships to shore-based teams, transmitting data to improve safety and efficiency of voyages.

4.     Back on land, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has also been working hard to streamline our regulatory reporting and facilitated just-in-time port and marine services for vessels through its digitalPORT@SG^TM initiative. MPA has also taken steps to improve digital connectivity between stakeholders in the maritime sector, by introducing common Application Programming Interface standards through its digitalOCEANS^TM initiative.

5.     I am happy to announce that Voyager and MPA will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore joint innovations that support voyage optimisation and just-in-time port arrivals. The Voyager Living Lab will be a valuable platform to catalyse more of such productive partnerships. This is not just a partnership between MPA and Voyager Worldwide, but we are hoping that this can be a multiplier, and this platform can lead to more partnerships with more stakeholders. And we do this by providing a space for various players in the maritime sector to develop promising concepts into full-fledged businesses.

6.     MPA will continue to provide support and help such start-ups to succeed. For instance, start-ups collaborating with Voyager through the Living Lab can apply for up to $50,000 in grant support under MPA’s MINT-STARTUP grant. MPA will also help start-ups to offer their digital solutions to SMEs under IMDA’s Sea Transport Industry Digital Plan (IDP).

7.     Maritime SMEs that adopt digital solutions under the Sea Transport IDP can receive funding support of up to $30,000.This will encourage and facilitate SMEs’ adoption of start-up solutions, including those developed through the Voyager Living Lab.

8.     Companies like Voyager are at the forefront of the transformation of the maritime sector. The Voyager Living Lab will add momentum to our growing and fast-moving MarineTech ecosystem, which will undoubtedly result in more good jobs in the maritime sector. I am pleased to note that the Living Lab activities will expand and create 25 new job opportunities, including roles in technology development and business development.

9.     I would like to thank Voyager for contributing to the dynamism of Maritime Singapore and attracting more talent to join our sector. They can be young talent who are students, but it also includes also mid-career professionals who may be working in other industries but have skillsets that can be applied to what we want to achieve in the maritime sector.

9.     Singapore remains open to companies like Voyager, and to talent from all over the world. These will complement our local companies and workforce to grow the maritime sector and create more opportunities, more jobs, and more scope for us to innovate, and to push the boundaries to achieve new breakthroughs.

10.    I welcome the Voyager Living Lab to Singapore’s vibrant MarineTech seascape, and I look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that you can develop, together with our industry partners, through the lab.

11.    Once again, congratulations on your launch!