The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), and MTI Co., Ltd. (MTI, an NYK Group company) conducted a joint workshop today to collaborate on port-to-port Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) trials. The collaboration is among the initiatives from the MPA-NYK Memorandum of Understanding in 2024 to deepen partnership and accelerate maritime decarbonisation, digitalisation, and manpower development efforts.

Held in Singapore, the workshop brought together over 60 participants from MPA, NYK, MTI, Singapore Maritime Institute, industry partners including ClassNK, Japan Radio Co., as well as research institutes from the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

The MASS trials will test the interoperability of autonomous vessels with port-based systems, including MPA’s Vessel Traffic Information System, and enable the development of best practices and standards for navigation safety, route planning, fuel consumption, AI-based decision-making, communications, and cybersecurity in the port of Singapore.

Capt M. Segar, MPA Chief Marine Officer, said, “This collaboration provides an important platform for us to test and validate new concepts of operations in Singapore’s port waters. We look forward to partnering with NYK and MTI in these trials to advance smart, safe, and sustainable autonomous shipping.”

Hideki Suzuki, President of MTI, said, “This joint workshop marks an important step forward in the development of autonomous navigation systems. MTI is proud to contribute to testing aimed at achieving safe and efficient autonomous navigation in Singapore’s port waters.”

MPA was established on 2 February 1996 with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre, and to advance and safeguard Singapore’s strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore’s maritime and port development, taking on the roles of maritime and port regulator and planner, international maritime centre champion, national maritime representative, and a champion of digitalisation and decarbonisation efforts at regional and international fora such as at the International Maritime Organization and the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation. MPA partners industry, research community and other agencies to enhance safety, security, and environmental protection, facilitate maritime and port operations and growth, expand multi-domain capabilities, and support the cluster of maritime ancillary services and manpower development. MPA is responsible for the overall development and growth of the maritime multi-domain and the Port of Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.mpa.gov.sg/

NYK, headquartered in Japan, is one of the world's leading transportation companies. As of the end of March 2025, the NYK Group operated 886 vessels and employed more than 35,000 professionals globally. NYK’s business portfolio spans many fields, including liner, logistics, automotive, dry bulk, energy, real estate, and cruise businesses. In March 2023, the NYK Group released its medium-term management plan Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 — A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing. The NYK Group is promoting growth strategies with ESG at the core, based on the Group's mission statement of "Bringing value to life" and a new corporate vision for 2030, which reads, "We go beyond the scope of a comprehensive global logistics enterprise to co-create value required for the future by advancing our core business and growing new ones."

For more information, please visit www.nyk.com/english/

MTI has its origins in NYK's Technical Development Center, which was established in 1986 to conduct R&D related to transportation provided by the NYK Group. In 2004, the Center was reorganized into MTI. In recent years, MTI has been recognized for its work in autonomous ship operations and ship IoT, which prevents problems before they may occur during navigation. MTI, which uses technology to support safe operations, reduce environmental impact, and make various other operational improvements, is essential to achieving the NYK Group's medium-term management plan Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 — A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing .
For more information, please visit www.monohakobi.com/en/

Serene Liu
Corporate Communications, MPA
Email: media_enquiries@mpa.gov.sg

Media Relations Team, NYK
Email: nykjp.ml.media@nykgroup.com

Public Relations Director, MTI
Email: mti.ml.pr@monohakobi.com