DYNCOAST: Dynamic Network Planning and Optimisation for Next Generation Coastal and Vessel Management

The marine sector is a critical component of the global economy. Over 80% of the volume of the world's international trade is carried by sea. There is increasing interest from governments and corporations to transition from fossil fuel powered vessels to electric ships to reduce the carbon footprint.

Globally, the Electric Ship Market is projected to grow from USD 4.9B in 2021 to USD 12.8B by 2030\. There is an urgent need for solutions to monitor and manage the operation of electric vessels. Reliable communication networks are a critical foundation for electrification of the marine sector.

As of today, the communication technology used for near-shore vessels is cellular (4G/5G), while ocean-going vessels use satellite communications. Ensuring adequate coastal 5G coverage is a challenge that all governments and maritime operators will have to confront.

Efforts are starting now in Singapore to deploy a coastal 5G network that will be fully implemented in 2025\.

This project brings together unique expertise from companies in the energy management (Ampotech, Singapore) and network planning (Ranplan, UK) industries, together with leading academic experts developing new network optimisation technologies.

The main outcomes of the project are: 1) An Internet of Thing gateway to collect electric vessel data, 2) fleet management software, 3) costal and vessel network planning software tools, and costal and vessel network optimisation solution powered by reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).