With the development and adoption of autonomous land transport systems and aerial drones, one may be led to think that translation of autonomy to the seas would be a straightforward process.  However, the effects of the environmental loading on motions of vessels are significantly different for ships in part due to the 800 times difference in density between air and water, and further compounded by the complex influence of waves and currents on vessel seakeeping and manoeuvrability.  This means that time horizons for decision making and control vary considerably from other transport systems, a fact well-understood by mariners, gained through experiential learning of how vessels behave and respond in real-world conditions. For autonomous and smart vessels, it is envisaged that intelligent systems will have the capabilities to take over some, if not all of the command and control tasks currently undertaken by a vessel’s crew.  This implies that the systems should have the same depth of knowledge on the motion characteristics of vessels.  This is a challenge that developers of autonomous and smart systems will have to overcome in order for autonomous and smart vessels to operate at a level of safety and efficiency that is at least equivalent to the existing vessels. In this webinar, the Centre of Excellence for Autonomous and Remotely Operated Vessels (CEAOPS) will share how digital twinning capabilities can be harnessed to address the challenges. Details of the session are as follows: Date Friday, 28 August 2020 Time 1030 - 1145 PROGRAMME: 1030 – 1040 Welcome Remarks by Dr Sanjay C. Kuttan, Executive Director Singapore Maritime Institute 1040 – 1110 Presentation: The Role of Digital Twinning for Autonomous and Smart Vessels by Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore (TCOMS) and Centre of Excellence for Autonomous and Remotely Operated Vessels (CEAOPS) 1110 – 1140 Panel Discussion Moderator: Prof Allan Magee, Principal Investigator, CEAOPS Panellists: Dr Chen Zhuo Principal Engineer Keppel Marine & Deepwater Technology Assoc Prof Dimitrios Konovessis Engineering Cluster and Deputy Programme Director for the Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering Undergraduate Programmes Singapore Institute of Technology Mr Andrew Yue Vice President, Unmanned Maritime Systems, Electronics ST Engineering Mr Chris Chung Director, Digital Innovation and Strategic Projects Wärtsilä Voyage 1140 - 1145 Closing Remarks REGISTRATION: Pre-registration to attend the session is required. To register for the event, please click here. POST-EVENT A. Webinar Recording Please click here to view the recording. B. Webinar Q&A Due to time constraints, the panel was not able to address all the questions during the Webinar. Please refer to this Q&A document for the consolidated responses to the questions.