Diversity of Tertiary Finalists at MaritimeONE Digital Challenge Reflects Evolving Nature of Industry on the Cusp of Change
November 9, 2023
Students from Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University seize victory as champions of the third edition of the case competition.
Singapore, 9 November 2023 — The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) announced the winning teams of the MaritimeONE Digital Challenge 2023 at an awards ceremony last evening.
Organised by SMF in collaboration with industry partners, the annual case competition invites students from Singapore’s universities and polytechnics to respond to challenge statements at the intersection of maritime and technology. This year’s edition is sponsored by leading multinationals Eastern Pacific Shipping, IMC Shipping and Pacific International Lines.
From an initial 190 students across 60 registered teams, the nine finalist teams comprise students coming from a diverse range of disciplines including maritime studies, supply chain management, business, economics, computer science, and data analytics.
The following are the winners of the MDC 2023:
COMPANY | CHALLENGE SYNOPSIS | WINNING TEAMS |
| To devise novel concepts towards an emissions digital tool that allows shipping organisations to visualise and compare vessel emissions across fleet and industry, forecast voyage emissions based on port-to-port data, account for various fuel types and obtain a measure of fuel selection cost. | Champion Team: NE Institution: Singapore Management University
1st Runner-up Team: 2KGoals Institution: Nanyang Technological University
2nd Runner-up Team: Confusion Matrix Institution: National University of Singapore
Merit Prizes Team: CSMS Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Team: Green Marine Institution: National University of Singapore |
To model a solution that delivers a system which optimises the rotation of ships with the objective of minimising emissions per tonne of cargo handled. | Champion Team: MarinaBytes Institution: Nanyang Technological University
1st Runner-up Team: Vessel404 Institution: National University of Singapore
2nd Runner-up Team: SOECO Institution: Nanyang Technological University Merit Prizes Team: Merry Time, Want? Institution: National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University
Team: Halp Institution: Singapore Management University | |
To propose a digital smart tool for the liner shipping business that streamlines and optimises the entire tender process for customers — enhancing efficiency, transparency, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining security and confidentiality. | Champion Team: GRQ Institution: Singapore Management University
1st Runner-up Team: Tenderisers Institution: Singapore University of Social Sciences
2nd Runner-up Team: Caviato Institution: National University of Singapore
Merit Prizes Team: Meeparino Institution: National University of Singapore
Team: YWWY Institution: Nanyang Technological University |
Quote from SMF Chairman
“There is significant potential to harness technology to spur the digitalisation and decarbonisation of maritime. I am heartened to see that the challenge statements crafted by the sponsor companies energised and engaged the diverse pool of talent — of whom a quarter are majoring in a technology-related discipline — that responded to the MaritimeONE Digital Challenge. I thank our industry sponsors Eastern Pacific Shipping, IMC Shipping and Pacific International Lines for mentoring our youths and for giving them a glimpse of exciting opportunities in the sector,” said Mr. Hor Weng Yew, Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation.
Quote from Eastern Pacific Shipping and Champion Team
“As a leading tonnage provider, EPS is keen to explore new ideas and technologies that support our decarbonisation initiatives. The MaritimeONE Digital Challenge has certainly presented exciting opportunities to work with these students to develop novel concepts and digital tools, and we have been very encouraged by their creativity, motivation and hard work. These talent, who will make up our future workforce, will certainly help drive digitalisation to greater heights in the industry’s decarbonisation journey,” said Mr. Pavlos Karagiannidis, Fleet Optimisation Manager, Eastern Pacific Shipping.
“Through our internship experiences, we understand the struggles and the importance of visualising carbon emissions in an automated and reliable manner. Having an emissions dashboard as a tracking system allows a company to know it’s on the right track of decarbonisation by telling the ‘how’s and ‘why’s’ to decarbonise. With tightening regulations, emissions reporting must be more frequent and accurate, such that the industry can work on a concrete database to decarbonise efficiently. The EPS Challenge strikes the best balance for the skillsets of our team — with members with maritime knowledge, and others with data science skills; such that we synergise well to come up with a quality digital tool,” said Mr. Brandon Sia, a Year 3 business management student from the Singapore Management University, and team leader of Team NE, champion for Eastern Pacific Shipping’s challenge statement.
Quotes from IMC Shipping and Champion Team
“We are very impressed with how the students answered our complex challenge statement with creativity, innovation, and collaboration. The winning teams demonstrated a keen understanding of the critical role that AI and technology play in reducing carbon emissions and driving sustainability. They employed various inventive strategies and efforts to consider the interests of all stakeholders in order to create concepts and models that have potential to be adopted and sustained. We thank the Singapore Maritime Foundation for the opportunity to engage and mentor these young talent, and we look forward to seeing how this next generation can inspire and bring about a sea of change to decarbonisation in the maritime industry,” said Capt. Venkatesh Dutt, Head of Operations, IMC Shipping.
“With the clock ticking towards 2030 and 2050 net zero carbon emissions targets, we understand the urgency to resolve congestion issues at ports. We’re working towards a future where every port call leaves a smaller ecological footprint, contributing to a greener Earth. Our team aims to pave the way for a more efficient, resilient and environmentally-conscious port call system by leveraging data analytics and algorithmic models to propel us into this new age, future-proofing our solution for the generations to come,” said Mr. Loi Jing, a Year 2 maritime studies student from Nanyang Technological University, and team leader of MarinaBytes, champion for IMC Shipping’s challenge statement.
Quotes from Pacific International Lines and Champion Team
“It was indeed impressive for the teams to acquire an in-depth understanding of the shipping industry within such a short span of time, and we are proud to see that Singapore has so many talented students capable of coming up with innovative solutions to revolutionise our business processes. Their fresh perspectives and brilliant ideas have been inspiring, and we are delighted to be a part of this year’s MaritimeONE Digital Challenge in nurturing these young talent for the future of Singapore’s maritime industry,” said Mr. Leslie Yee, General Manager, Information Systems, PIL.
“Our team recognises the vital role of technology in transforming the maritime industry, be it in terms of automation for efficiency, reducing errors and minimising risks, or to optimise analytical processes. MDC 2023 gives us the unique opportunity to actively engage in a project with PIL, providing real solutions that address real problems. This offers us valuable insights into the liner business, and allows us to explore the potential of technology in the maritime industry,” said Ms. Joveen Yue, a Year 4 economics student from the Singapore Management University, and team captain of GRQ, champion for Pacific International Lines’ challenge statement.
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About the Singapore Maritime Foundation
Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a conduit between the public and private sectors to accomplish the twin mission of developing and promoting Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC); and to attract, engage and grow a talent pipeline to position Maritime Singapore for continued growth. For details, visit https://www.smf.com.sg
The MaritimeONE Connect Office (MCO) runs a suite of programmes and platforms including Singapore’s only dedicated maritime careers portal https://www.maritimeone.sg/home to connect talent with opportunities.
About Eastern Pacific Shipping
With a history spanning 60 years, Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. Ltd. (“EPS”) is a leading shipping company that is committed to the green and technology-driven growth of the industry. Headquartered in Singapore for the past 30 years, EPS is driven by its mission to be the safe and efficient transportation provider of choice to the shipping industry. Empowering that mission is a 6,000 strong and growing workforce across sea and shore. They oversee a versatile fleet of over 230 vessels and 23 million deadweight-tonnes across three core segments of containership, dry bulk, and tanker vessels. EPS’ shore team is fully integrated with in-house commercial, finance, innovation, IT, legal, manning, operations, and technical departments.
About IMC Shipping
With a maritime heritage dating back to the early 1900s, IMC has transformed from a traditional shipping company into a diversified group with a strong focus on integrated industrial supply chains.
IMC Shipping is the shipping arm of IMC Industrial Group, comprising IMC Dry Bulk, Aurora Tankers, IMC Ship Services, CSIC-IMC and Pelita Logistik, as well as IMC Ship Management, IMC Ship Operations, IMC Technical Services, and IMC Solution Shipping.
With a strong global presence and strategic position in Asia, IMC Shipping aims to be the preferred Asia-based Maritime Service Platform offering a wide range of differentiated services and solutions to the maritime industry.
About Pacific International Lines
Incorporated in 1967, Pacific International Lines (PIL) is ranked 12th among the world’s top container shipping lines and is also the largest home-grown carrier in Southeast Asia. From a modest ship-owner in Singapore, PIL has developed into a global carrier with a focus on China, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Oceania. Together with its affiliated companies Mariana Express Lines (MELL) and Malaysia Shipping Corporation, PIL serves customers at over 500 locations in more than 90 countries worldwide with a fleet of around 100 container and multi-purpose vessels.
Apart from the core liner shipping business, PIL also has several other business units such as container manufacturing, depot and logistics services.
With its focus on “Driving Connectivity”, PIL strives to meet the needs of its customers by providing value-adding services, and aims to be an efficient, sustainable and future ready shipping line. For more information, visit www.pilship.com
Media Contacts
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