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Authorities to try autonomous maritime operations in the port of Singapore

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and marine technology company Ocean Infinity will trial autonomous and remotely piloted maritime operations in Singapore's port waters. The deal was announced on 17 August 2026, at the opening of the 13th Singapore Safety@Sea Week, organised by the MPA and bringing together around 1,500 participants.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ocean Infinity will share its operational experience of autonomous vessels and remote operation, while the MPA will contribute its expertise in designing and overseeing the trials and assessing their safety. The two partners will also cooperate on capability development, operational trials and research. The trials are intended to inform the eventual introduction of these technologies into Singapore's port waters.

Ocean Infinity, which specialises in robotics and underwater data acquisition, operates its Armada fleet of remotely operated and autonomous vehicles. According to Murali Pillai, Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport, this fleet is the first in the sector to obtain compliance certification from classification society DNV for remote operations.

The week also saw other safety initiatives launched. The MPA rolled out the IPOC system (Integrated Port Operations Command, Control and Communications), developed with the Defence Science and Technology Agency and ST Engineering, which aggregates real-time data to better monitor port operations. The National Maritime Safety at Sea Council and the Singapore Shipping Association also launched a confidential near-miss reporting channel, modelled on the international CHIRP programme, to share safety lessons across the industry.

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