Quantum-Secured Maritime Logistics Trials Launched in Singapore
April 2, 2023
In an ambitious leap forward for maritime cybersecurity, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) announced the launch of a pilot program on April 2, 2023, designed to integrate quantum-secure communications across critical shipping logistics systems. The initiative, conducted in partnership with Toshiba Digital Solutions and the National University of Singapore (NUS), focuses on deploying quantum key distribution (QKD) across customs data channels, shipping manifests, and freight verification workflows.
The project is a direct response to growing concerns over quantum decryption threats to international trade routes and logistics systems, many of which remain reliant on public-key infrastructure vulnerable to future quantum attacks.
Maritime Cybersecurity at a Tipping Point
Singapore, as a strategic transshipment hub handling over 37.5 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) annually, understands that the resilience of its digital infrastructure is directly tied to economic and national security. Traditional cybersecurity protocols like RSA and ECC are widely deployed in everything from cargo customs systems to terminal operating systems (TOS). However, these cryptographic methods are projected to become obsolete once large-scale quantum computers can break them using algorithms like Shor’s algorithm.
To get ahead of this risk, Singapore’s IMDA commissioned this real-world QKD pilot across selected data links between customs, shipping agents, and terminal operators. Data such as:
Cargo manifests
Import/export documentation
Real-time shipment tracking updates
will now be transmitted with QKD-secured channels, making it theoretically immune to eavesdropping—even from quantum-enabled attackers.
Technical Setup: Toshiba's QKD and Integration
The QKD system being used is Toshiba’s Twin-Field QKD, known for enabling quantum-secured communications over fiber distances exceeding 500 kilometers. While Singapore’s geography allows for fiber connections across the island, the pilot also tests satellite-free international messaging using layered quantum and post-quantum protocols.
Highlights include:
Deployment of quantum random number generators (QRNGs) at customs data centers
Quantum key relays over Singtel’s high-speed fiber backbone
Integration with shipping document management systems (DMS)
NUS’s Centre for Quantum Technologies is monitoring the pilot’s effectiveness in terms of latency, key generation rate, and resistance to packet loss under real port operating conditions.
Global Implications: Quantum Logistics Beyond the Lab
This marks the first QKD deployment of its kind explicitly tailored to maritime logistics in Asia. Similar efforts are being pursued in:
The Netherlands, where the Port of Rotterdam is working with QuTech
Germany, where Deutsche Telekom has tested quantum-safe links across intermodal terminals
China, which launched the world’s longest land-based QKD network from Beijing to Shanghai
What distinguishes Singapore’s approach is its full government support, commercial integration, and regional significance as a logistics gateway to Southeast Asia.
Regulatory Alignment and Standards
The pilot is aligned with Singapore’s National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN) initiative and supports upcoming recommendations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on cybersecurity compliance for critical shipping infrastructure.
Furthermore, it informs policy decisions on:
Mandatory adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC)
Cross-border customs and trade documentation encryption standards
Vendor certification for quantum-resilient shipping platforms
Industry Support and Future Scaling
Leading maritime companies such as PSA International, Kuehne+Nagel, and CMA CGM have expressed interest in extending the trial’s findings to their own digital logistics platforms.
"The pilot will give us clarity on how QKD can co-exist with traditional systems, and how scalable it is for multi-party logistics ecosystems," said Dr. Loh Ngai Seng, Senior Advisor at MPA.
If successful, Singapore plans to scale the system to airfreight and free-trade zone operations, further protecting high-value goods and dual-use exports.
Final Thoughts
Singapore’s QKD port logistics pilot is a milestone for quantum-secure logistics in the Asia-Pacific. By proactively addressing quantum threats and demonstrating scalable security infrastructure in a high-volume, mission-critical environment, the city-state is setting a precedent for how nations and logistics providers must prepare for a quantum computing future.
As quantum logistics matures, cybersecurity won’t just be about protecting freight — it will become foundational to keeping global trade routes stable, sovereign, and secure.