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Singapore, UAE join forces on digitalisation, decarbonisation in maritime industry

‘Singapore and UAE enjoy very strong bilateral relations and it is our role to ensure we are able to handle different types of challenges moving forward,’ says MPA.

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Singapore is ready to collaborate with the UAE in efforts to digitalise and decarbonise the maritime industry, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) told Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Thursday (2 June). 

“Singapore and the UAE enjoy very strong bilateral relations; we are both (maritime) hubs in different regions of the world and it is our role to ensure that whatever ships that cross in Singapore and the UAE, we are able to handle the different types of challenges, moving forward,” said MPA Chief Executive Ms Quah Ley Hoon. 

“Therefore, we are really looking forward to collaborating with the UAE in digitalisation and decarbonisation,” she added in an interview with WAM on the sidelines of 7th Edition of Ports Authorities Roundtable (PAR 2022) in Abu Dhabi.

She said digitalisation is one of the three key areas that will help the maritime industry face some important challenges, Ley Hoon noted. 

Through digitalisation, “we ensure that different parties are able to connect with one another, not just on port clearance but also on cargo clearance, allowing the goods to flow in a more seamless manner,” she explained.

The second one, she said, is the effort of decarbonisation. 

“It is important that the maritime industry further reduces emissions and works towards the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) goals of 2050. We need to look at what’s the future ship, what’s the type of ship that we can cater for in future,” said Quah. 

She also said the industry should be able to handle new bunker fuels such as ammonia, hydrogen, and biofuel, which would help the decarbonisation efforts.

The third key area is handling the disruption as it happened during the global pandemic. 

The industry has to come together to ensure that goods continue to flow uninterrupted in the event of a public health issue or a similar challenge, said Quah.

Quah said all the key challenges facing the industry are being discussed at the Ports Authorities Roundtable (PAR 2022), a major annual maritime event that brings together port authorities from around the world to strengthen consensus and cooperation in the industry.

“We look forward to a successful conclusion of the roundtable. It is really important for us to come up with ideas, especially in the areas of decarbonisation and digitalisation. There are a lot of question marks now when it comes to global trade, global shipping and global maritime, and I hope that through this roundtable we are able to move forward,” she said. 

Related: Innovation, decarbonisation and talent the three main priorities of MPA, says CE
Related: MPA blueprint prepares marine fuels sector for multi-fuel bunkering transition
Related: Singapore: MPA maritime decarbonisation blueprint sets target for bunkering sector

 

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 6 June, 2022

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Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July). 

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

  • That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

  • that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
  • that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
  • that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. 

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

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PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post. 

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024. 

 

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

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