Attracting innovation in maritime: Another smart port challenge launches in Singapore

June 12, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), have jointly launched the 9th edition of the PIER71 Smart Port Challenge (SPC) 2025.

Illustration. Courtesy of MPA Singapore (Facebook)

This global competition invites startups to develop innovative solutions addressing challenges in the maritime industry.

To broaden its global outreach, PIER71 will conduct 15 roadshows across 13 cities in June, in partnership with its global innovation network. Locations include the United States, Europe, South Korea, China, and India. This will be the first time roadshows are held in Los Angeles and Boston (US), Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, as well as in China and India.

SPC 2025 features 15 challenge statements spanning four focus areas: maritime green technologies, smart shipping, next-generation ports, and digitalization, supported by over 20 innovation partners. Shortlisted startups will participate in a 10-week SPC Accelerate program. Participating startups will receive tailored guidance, hands-on workshops, and opportunities for market validation based on their specific stage of development.

Upon completion of the program, participants may apply for support from MPA’s Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund for proof-of-concept, pilot projects, and product development. The top startups will be awarded cash prizes at the SPC2025 Great Circle finals in November 2025.

Five maritime technology (MarineTech) startups from SPC2024 were supported, bringing the total number of grant recipients to 66, with over 27 innovative technologies already deployed in the maritime industry following successful trials.

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The latest round of startup grant recipients will support the development of a virtual fuel sensor (VFS), an intelligent document processing (IDP) platform for maritime documentation, an AI/ML platform to optimise commercial operations, and trials of next-generation batteries for maritime applications, including sodium-ion and lithium-sulphur solutions.

Since its inception in 2018, PIER71 has supported close to 150 startups, which have collectively raised more than S$130 million in venture capital.

In 2025 alone, four alumni – Seadronix, Clear Robotics, STAX Engineering, and Groundup.ai – secured a combined total of S$34 million in investment funding. Seadronix raised S$15 million in Series B funding – the largest amount raised by any PIER71 startup to date – to expand global deployment of its AI-powered autonomous ship navigation technology.

“The Smart Port Challenge is a valuable platform to advance innovations for the maritime sector bringing new ideas and solutions for development leading to industry pilots. The engagement and exchange of insights between industry and startups in tackling real-world problem statements strengthens Singapore’s maritime innovation ecosystem and helps accelerate the development of practical solutions. We look forward to the innovative solutions that will emerge from SPC 2025,” Teo Eng Dih, MPA’s Chief Executive, commented.

“The future of maritime innovation is anchored in global connectivity, convergence, and ever-deeper industry integration. Since its launch in 2018, PIER71 has catalysed more than 110 innovation opportunities in partnership with over 60 leading maritime corporates,” Tan Sian Wee, Senior Vice President (Innovation & Enterprise), NUS, said.

“With Singapore recognised as the world’s top maritime centre for the 11th consecutive year, our innovation ecosystem is poised to make a global impact. By joining forces with industry stakeholders across the ecosystem, we are building a resilient and sustainable maritime future—one that is innovative, collaborative, and ready to navigate the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.”

In other news, MPA and Firmus Technologies, a Singapore-based technology company specialising in energy-efficient, AI-optimised infrastructure, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the study of sustainable, modular AI factories using seawater for cooling.

The study will examine the viability of deploying modular versions of seawater-based cooling systems around Singapore’s waterfront areas to support growing demand for compute infrastructure.