In 2012, the 5th Co-operation Forum on the Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore was held in Singapore. It led to an initiative that aims to help boost navigational safety and traffic efficiency in the Straits.
The initiative involves developing a Ship Traffic Management System (STMS) that effectively provides vessels with recommended speeds and routes as they passage through the Straits or prepare to call at a port along it
Spearheaded by maritime agencies in Singapore, Norway, Indonesia and Malaysia, the STMS project is part of the umbrella e-Navigation concept by the International Maritime Organization, which aims to harmonise maritime navigation systems to improve the safety, security and protection of the marine environment.
As part of this STMS project, a Ship Traffic Simulator (STS) is needed to determine the feasibility of proposed traffic management plans before their implementation in the real world. Maritime personnel will also be able to use this STS as a component in the next-generation VTS when new e-Navigation services are introduced between 2015 and 2020.
SimPlus is handling the design and development of the STS. It is working closely with renowned maritime research company Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (Marintek) on the design, while Kongsberg Norcontrol IT, a Norwegian firm that focuses on maritime surveillance, helps coordinate matters between this project and a parallel STMS initiative known as SESAME Straits (Secure, Efficient, and Safe maritime traffic Management in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore). SESAME Straits is funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN).
The project was featured on the MOU signing ceremony for the bilateral agreement on maritime education, training and research and development (R&D) between MPA and RCN. More detail can be found at MPA website.
