Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) on Friday (29 September) said businesses can look forward to a slew of new international and Singapore standards and accreditation programmes in areas such as greenhouse gas reporting, decarbonisation and renewable energy in the next two to three years. 

These efforts will be spearheaded by EnterpriseSG, together with the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) and Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC).

Among local standards and accreditation programmes that being developed in the pipeline are:

• A methanol and ammonia bunkering standard that will cover refuelling, operational and safety requirements for the delivery of methanol and ammonia, guiding the local maritime industry in their transition to sustainable alternative fuels. The standard is planned for 2025.
• Standard on hydrogen refuelling to guide the transportation of hydrogen and operational and safety requirements of refuelling stations. This standard will support companies in their trial of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the associated refuelling operations and infrastructure development. The standard is planned for 2025.
• New standards that will assist the decarbonisation and net zero emission targets of harbourcrafts operating in Singapore. Expected to be developed by 2025, these standards aim to standardise the deployment of charging stations in Singapore to ensure compatibility and interoperability. This will ensure that the charging infrastructure in Singapore can support different types of electric harbourcrafts.

These efforts will be spearheaded by EnterpriseSG, together with the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) and Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC).

EnterpriseSG will work with SSC and SAC to introduce and revise more than 25 sustainability-related national standards and accreditation programmes over the next two years. 

These programmes cover a wide range of sustainability capabilities – from standards targeted to accelerate decarbonisation efforts in the energy and maritime sectors, to sector-agnostic standards to help enterprises improve their environmental performance in carbon emissions, energy, water efficiency and material management.

Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General (Quality & Excellence), Enterprise Singapore, said: “Given the global emphasis on sustainability, it is essential for companies to adopt standards and use accredited testing, inspection, and certification services to strengthen sustainability practices, which builds trust and confidence in Singapore’s products and services.”

“EnterpriseSG, together with our national Standards and Accreditation Councils, will continue to elevate Singapore’s participation in sustainability standards and accreditation programme development and adoption at the international level. Locally, we will also roll out standards and accreditation programmes in key emerging areas including renewable energy and decarbonisation over the next few years. These efforts are expected to benefit more than 1,000 companies.”

Mr Tay Jih-Hsin, Chairman of the Singapore Standards Council, said: “Standards continue to play an integral role in enabling enterprises to build new sustainability capabilities. The SSC will continue to work in developing standards that support enterprises on their sustainability journey. We will also expand our active participation in international standards committees such as the ISO and IEC to raise the profile of Singapore’s sustainability push and connect local companies to more overseas stakeholders.”

Photo credit: Enterprise Singapore
Published: 2 October, 2023

Alma Clean Power, Odfjell and DNV on Friday (29 September) said a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system will be installed on a chemical tanker by the end of 2024, aiming to demonstrate the potential for significantly lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for deep-sea shipping.

The trip said fuel cells demonstrate a promising potential for scalable use for longer distances and larger energy needs in shipping as the maritime industry faces major challenges adjusting to zero emissions over the next decades. 

“It is therefore vital to start gathering practical onboard experience with fuel cells, without compromising on safety,” they said in a joint statement. 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are fuel flexible, and can convert fuels like ammonia, LNG, methanol and hydrogen to electricity with a potentially higher energy efficiency than internal combustion engines. With a maritime solid oxide fuel cells solution, shipping companies will be able to reduce emissions short term and operate emission-free once alternative fuels become available.

The project partners intend to place an 80KW natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cell container on board one of Odfjell’s chemical tankers, to demonstrate SOFC as an efficient energy converter for deep-sea shipping. In January 2023, Alma Clean Power was awarded DNV’s Approval in Principle (AiP) for their design of a 1MW ammonia fuelled SOFC system.

Alma Clean Power and Odfjell have a long-term collaboration in joint development projects and are excited to start the marine demonstrator project together with DNV.

Bernt Skeie, CEO of Alma Clean Power, said: “We are very excited about this collaboration with Odfjell and DNV. Odfjell, for continued support through years of development and recognizing this project as a great opportunity for innovation and testing on board their vessel, and DNV for bringing in the broad expertise of a classification society, applying their rule framework and ensuring a thorough risk-based approach to the design, construction, installation and operation onboard the vessel.”

Harald Fotland, CEO of Odfjell, said: “We’ve been working structured and actively with energy-efficiency technologies and decarbonization for more than a decade, and this project represents another progressive step in energy efficiency-, fuel flexibility and zero emissions capability innovations. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with DNV and Alma Clean Power, and to document the impact this technology can deliver in our common quest to decarbonize deep-sea shipping.”

Tuva Flagstad-Andersen, DNV Regional Manager Maritime – North Europe, said: "This is an exciting project for DNV to be part of with two very forward-leaning partners. Identifying a suitable risk level and applying DNV’s existing rule framework will be key to managing the risks of the installation. At the same time, the project provides an ample opportunity to learn from the practical application to further improve our rules and guidelines and use this input to facilitate constructive dialogues with the applicable Flag Authorities.” 

Photo credit: Alma Clean Power
Published: 2 October, 2023

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (26 September) said it has signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with regional maritime administrations and partners in China to advance collaboration on digitalisation, decarbonisation, talent development, and information exchange. 

The MoUs were signed at the Port Authorities Roundtable 2023 hosted in Shanghai and at the sidelines of 3rd Global Sustainability Transport Forum in Beijing.

MPA-China Classification Society           

MPA signed an MoU with the China Classification Society (CCS) on 25 September 2023 on the sidelines of Global Sustainability Transport Forum in Beijing at the CCS Conference of Green and Intelligent Technologies for a Sustainable Shipping Industry. The MoU was signed by Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA and Mr Sun Feng, Chairman and President of CCS.

Under the MoU, MPA and CCS will explore collaborations to reduce greenhouse gas emission through the use of zero or near-zero emission bunker fuels and marine battery technology; co-innovate smart ships technologies with researchers, industry, and maritime startups through platforms such as PIER71™; and support the development of maritime talent and training through maritime scholarship programme and internship opportunities. Headquartered in Beijing, CCS is a full member of the International Association of Classifications Societies with over 120 offices worldwide.

MPA-Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission

The MoU between MPA and the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission was announced on 22 September 2023 at the North Bund Forum in Shanghai, and signed on 24 September 2023 at the Port Authorities Roundtable 2023. The MoU was signed by Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Mr Yu Fulin, Director General of Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission.

The MoU aims to strengthen port and maritime ties between two of the world’s largest ports to foster mutual learning through information exchange on port and shipping developments, maritime policies and regulations, as well as training and research. The MoU also aims to co-develop digitalisation and decarbonisation solutions for shipping and port development. Given its role in the development of the Yangtze River delta, Shanghai is also one of China’s key transshipment centres.

MPA-Tianjin Port and Shipping Authority

An MoU between MPA and Tianjin Port and Shipping Authority (TPSA) was signed on 26 September 2023 on the sidelines of 3rd Global Sustainability Transport Forum. The MoU was signed by Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Mr Wang Honghai, Director General of TPSA.

Under the MoU, MPA and TPSA will discuss issues relating to maritime digitalisation and decarbonisation; exchange information and experiences on development on shipping and regulatory framework, port developments, and maritime training; and facilitate maritime talent exchanges and collaborative opportunities in areas such as maritime research and development. 

Located in the Bohai Bay Rim Region, Tianjin Port is one of the largest ports in Northern China and one of the fastest growing Chinese ports in terms of annual container throughput.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 27 September, 2023