Sembcorp Marine and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) focused on offshore wind energy, among others.
Under the MRCA, the two parties will jointly pursue innovation in Digital Design and Advanced Manufacturing for the offshore and marine sector.
The agreement includes setting up the Joint Lab@TBY research laboratory and workspace at Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard that will facilitate test-bedding and commercialization of new Digital Design solutions, Advanced Manufacturing capabilities and other Industry 4.0-related technologies in a real-world environment.
The partners aim to shorten the development cycle and time-to-market of new offshore, marine and clean energy solutions achieved through their research efforts.
Digital Design solutions to be explored include novel designs that support the development of offshore wind energy and risk mitigations in liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and transportation.
Joint Lab@TBY also seeks to augment local Advanced Manufacturing capabilities in large format additive manufacturing technology, automated robotic welding for complex offshore structures, automated non-destructive testing (NDT) and smart factory floor monitoring and control.
Sembcorp stated that the MRCA allows it to team up with multiple A*STAR research entities under a common framework.
The arrangement is expected to smoothen the execution of future R&D collaborations, attract participation from more organizations, and enable the cross-fertilization of unique insights and ideas to create impactful solutions.