Empowering SMEs for an AI-enabled Digital Future
On 25 April 2025, SSA’s Digitalisation Committee hosted the second run of SME Tech-novate Day, a half-day event designed to equip SMEs with the latest developments in digital transformation, AI adoption, and industry best practices. Held at the Network Hub, the event drew in 40 SMEs and their representatives who were eager to stay ahead in their digital journey.
The day kicked off with an insightful session by PwC’s digital transformation team, on the practical applications of artificial intelligence for maritime operations and provided tangible ideas for businesses looking to take the next step in their digitalisation roadmap. One example is how shipowners can utilise Generative AI to improve the generating, updating and processing of contracts along with it greatly improving the accuracy and time taken for legal documents to be drafted.
Cybersecurity and the SME Digital Journey
Cybersecurity also took centre stage with quick-fire presentations and a presentation on SSA’s cybersecurity self-assessment tool called MaritimeSG Shipping CyberSafe Scorecard (https://www.scissor.sg/), underscoring the increasing importance of building digital trust as SMEs adopt more connected technologies. From an SME’s point of view, the consequences of poor cybersecurity can be severe — including financial losses, reputational damage, and operational disruptions.
During the event’s fireside chat with a few SME member companies who have embarked on their digital transformation journey, the audience had the opportunity to dialogue and learn from their experiences. Through these exchanges, it was apparent that barriers to transformation centred around costs. For instance, while the top management of SMEs clearly see the value in digitalisation, the lack of cost-effective cybersecurity solutions to support digitalisation was a major concern when it comes to implementation. This remains one of the reasons for SSA’s continued engagement with ship owning and operating companies through the Scorecard. The initiative allows the industry to measure gaps in their cybersecurity defences, manage their risks and improve their maturity levels.
CyberSafe Scorecard Initiative Welcomes New Partners Bureau Veritas Marine, North Standard and Inmarsat
Wrapping up the event was a MoU signing ceremony to formalise the partnership with Bureau Veritas Marine, North Standard, and Inmarsat. These new partners will help take the initiative to a new level, by raising the awareness and adoption of the initiative across the wider maritime ecosystem.
The event closed with a networking lunch, allowing attendees to further exchange ideas and explore potential collaborations.
To view more photos from the event, please click here.
