SMW 2026 marks 20 years of decarbonisation and digital transformation progress in shipping

This year’s Singapore Maritime Week brought together more than 20,000 shipping and port professionals from nearly 80 countries at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre for five days of policy debate, technology showcasing, and networking.

Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow formally opened the event, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong delivering the Singapore Maritime Lecture. A ministerial roundtable brought together ministers and heads of maritime organisations from 10 countries to discuss collective action on sustainability, digitalisation, and regulatory cooperation.

The conference theme, "Actions Meet Ambition", hosted discussions across geopolitical trade shifts, alternative fuels, port logistics, workforce development, and the application of AI in maritime operations. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez was among the notable attendees.

A headline announcement at the opening ceremony was the launch of OCEANS-X, a new data and API exchange platform developed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to enable secure, system-to-system connectivity across the maritime ecosystem. The platform is designed to deliver more efficient port services and support Singapore's position as a global hub port and international maritime centre.

Gan drew a direct connection between data infrastructure and the green transition, arguing that sharing data on common standards improves efficiency today while enabling future innovation. He also noted that Singapore has awarded methanol bunkering licences and introduced a Technical Reference for methanol as part of its ambitions as a leading bunkering hub.

AI featured prominently throughout the conference programme, with speakers highlighting that AI systems depend on trusted, shareable data across ecosystems, from shipping movements to port operations and logistics centres.

MPA and the Singapore Maritime Institute used SMW 2026 to launch an updated Singapore Maritime Technology and Research Roadmap. The previous roadmap, published in 2019, had helped establish maritime Centres of Excellence and the Maritime Transformation Programme. The 2026 edition sharpens the focus on translating research into deployable solutions, with priorities including digital technologies at scale, practical decarbonisation pathways, and improved integration across port and shipping operations.

In other developments, India and Singapore signed an MoU for a roadmap for a new digital maritime and green shipping corridor between the two countries. The roadmap includes development of new infrastructure, including storage tank capacity, pipelines and bunkering facilities to support growing demand for greener fuel options.

Meanwhile, IEC Telecom launched a new high-speed internet platform during SMW 2026 that uses Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and hybrid network environments to provide better internet access for crew members at sea. The launch is a response to a recorded decline in onboard connectivity satisfaction, which fell from 7.81 in Q3 2025 to 7.42 in Q4 2025, according to the Seafarer Happiness Index. 

 

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