Alternative Fuels
MPA and Port of Rotterdam sign MoU to form world’s longest Green and Digital Corridor
Singapore and Rotterdam are among the largest bunkering ports in the world, making them vital links on the Asian-European shipping lanes, said MPA.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Port of Rotterdam have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the world’s longest Green and Digital Corridor to enable low and zero carbon shipping, according to MPA on Tuesday (2 Aug).
The MoU was signed by Ms. Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, and Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on the sidelines of the biennial World Cities Summit.
The agreement will bring together stakeholders across the supply chain to realise the first sustainable vessels sailing on the route by 2027.
The signing was witnessed by S Iswaran, Minister for Transport and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, Singapore, and Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam.
Singapore and Rotterdam are among the largest bunkering ports in the world, making them vital links on the Asian-European shipping lanes. While international shipping currently uses largely marine gas oil (MGO) and low-sulphur fuel oil, sustainable alternatives such as biofuels, including biogases, are increasingly being made available. Other alternatives such as synthetic methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen-based fuels including ammonia and methanol are in various stages of R&D for future trials and deployment.
Each alternative fuel has its own challenges relating to costs, availability, safety, and restrictions in range due to lower energy density compared to fossil fuels. To tackle these challenges, the two port authorities agreed to bring together a broad coalition of shippers, fuel suppliers and other companies to collectively work on potential solutions.
Beyond alternative fuels, the MoU also aims to optimise maritime efficiency, safety, and the transparent flow of goods by creating a digital trade lane where relevant data, electronic documentation and standards are shared. This will facilitate the seamless movement of vessels and cargo, and optimise just-in-time arrival of vessels from port to port.
The port authorities will work with the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero-Carbon Shipping as action partners, as well as other industry partners across the supply chain, including bp, CMA CGM, Digital Container Shipping Association, Maersk, MSC, Ocean Network Express, PSA International, and Shell for a start.
This will enable the Green and Digital Corridor project to raise investment confidence, attract green financing, and kickstart joint bunkering pilots and trials for digitalisation and the use of low- and zero carbon fuels along the route.
S Iswaran, Minister for Transport and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, Singapore, said: “Decarbonising shipping is an urgent climate action priority, which requires the collective efforts of the entire maritime sector. As a trusted global maritime hub, Singapore contributes actively to IMO’s efforts to make international shipping more sustainable, and global supply chains more resilient. This MoU with the Port of Rotterdam demonstrates how likeminded partners can work together to complement the efforts of the IMO. It will serve as a valuable platform to pilot ideas that can be scaled up for more sustainable international shipping.”
Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, said: “Shipping is among the most important industries to decarbonise, owing to its large international reach and volume, which continues to grow. By bringing together parties across the supply chain along one of the world’s biggest trade lanes, we can enable carriers to switch to zero-carbon fuels and speed up the transition to more sustainable shipping”.
Ms. Quah, Chief Executive of MPA, said: “This MoU further strengthens the strong partnership between Singapore and Rotterdam. It reaffirms Singapore’s commitment towards facilitating a multi-fuel bunkering transition as part of the Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint 2050, and accelerates our digitalisation efforts to optimise maritime efficiency and improve supply chain resilience. The pilot will complement efforts undertaken by the shipping industry, including partners such as Google Cloud, and the IMO to support decarbonisation and digitalisation transition for international shipping, as we work towards developing and scaling up green and digital solutions for wider adoption.”
Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 3 August, 2022
Biofuel
Hercules Tanker Management vessel “Mount Kibo” takes on B30 bio bunker fuel
HTM said its tanker was successfully supplied with B30 bunkers by tanker “Hercules Sky”, another HTM-owned vessel and operated by Peninsula, marking the first biofuel supply to the HTM fleet.
Alternative Fuels
DNV: Seven steps to obtain approval for ammonia- and hydrogen-fuelled ships
DNV summarizes how shipowners can apply a practical, structured approach to gaining approval for ammonia- or hydrogen-fuelled ships as both are gradually emerging as suitable bunker fuels.
Classification society DNV on Monday (28 April) released an article summarizing how shipowners can apply a practical, structured approach to gaining approval for ammonia- or hydrogen-fuelled ships.
From engaging early with flag administrations to addressing design risks, training crews, and managing bunkering safely, DNV described seven essential steps to receive approval:
The paper – Safe introduction of alternative fuels: Focus on ammonia and hydrogen as ship fuels – offers a structured pathway for shipowners to achieve approval through IMO’s alternative design approval (ADA) process.
Seven steps to obtain approval for ammonia- and hydrogen-fuelled ships
“We outline seven steps to assist shipowners and other stakeholders in obtaining approval and safely deploying ammonia- and hydrogen-fuelled ships in today’s immature regulatory environment,” says Linda Hammer, Principal Consultant, Environment Advisory at DNV and lead author of the white paper. “The regulatory path is certainly complex, but the steps and safety measures in the paper add up to a clear, achievable pathway to ship approval and safe operations. It also explains how DNV’s support can significantly ease this process through its tailored rule sets and learnings from pilot projects.”
Understanding ADA phases: From initial design to final approval
IMO’s IGF Code (International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels) currently covers natural gas but not ammonia or hydrogen. Without detailed regulations, IMO’s risk-based ADA process (MSC.1/Circ.1455) is used. It involves demonstrating that the ship’s safety level is equivalent to that of conventional oil-fuelled vessels.
ADA has two main phases. A preliminary design approval requires a hazard identification (HAZID) study, developing a preliminary risk assessment, and defining preliminary risk-control measures and safety strategies.
Phase two, final design approval, starts with refining the design with detailed technical and safety documentation, then making a final risk assessment, addressing integration and operation-specific concerns. Then come complete system integration testing and submitting findings to the flag administration.
Role of class and flag administrations in approval process
As the IMO regulatory framework progresses towards eventually amending the IGF Code, classification societies like DNV can give shipowners a head start in designing vessels by issuing class certificates and providing prescriptive rule frameworks to support ADA.
Flag administrations enforce statutory regulations and have the final say on approvals. Early and active engagement with the relevant flag administration is therefore the key to clarifying approval expectations and streamlining ADA.
Subject to flag administration acceptance, the DNV rules can be applied as the flag administration’s approval basis or to significantly reduce the complexity of ADA.
Simplifying ship approval: DNV’s rules for ammonia and hydrogen fuels
DNV’s classification rules for ammonia and hydrogen (i.e. the “Gas fuelled ammonia” notation published in 2021 and the 2024 “Gas fuelled hydrogen” notation) provide structured, prescriptive requirements as far as possible to simplify ADA. Applying them helps reduce uncertainty in flag administration approval, streamlines design focus by aligning with expected risk assessments, and provides predictability to shipowners, ship designers and shipyards.
The paper describes step-by-step actions for obtaining approval. First, engage DNV and the flag administration early to clarify the approval basis. “DNV can help owners and yards in the initial contact with the flag administration to obtain necessary clarification regarding the approval scope and process,” says Hammer.
Second, align the design with DNV rules to ensure it provides a strong technical basis for risk evaluation. Third, tap into DNV’s extensive and growing experience from prior projects to anticipate what risk studies and documentation may be needed.
The paper also discusses measures to manage the new technical, human and organizational risks that both fuels bring compared to conventional fuels. DNV’s dedicated ship rules for each fuel type outline technical requirements and mitigation systems to integrate during design and operation.
Note: DNV’s full article on ‘Practical guide for approval of ammonia- or hydrogen-fuelled ships’ can be read here.
Related: DNV releases white paper on safe and scalable adoption of ammonia, hydrogen bunker fuels
Photo credit: DNV
Published: 30 April, 2025
Methanol
Ofiniti to roll out e-BDNs for Golden Island methanol bunkering operations in Singapore
Ofiniti will issue electronic Bunker Delivery Notes, based on the recently published Technical Reference 129 on Methanol Bunkering, across Golden Island’s newbuilds and part of its existing fleet.
OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Singapore: Ang Wee Keong from IMDA appointed as new MPA Chief Executive
FOBAS: Chemical contamination and operational problems in Istanbul
TFG Marine to launch of ZeroNorth e-BDNs at Port of Sohar after Singapore success
Hercules Tanker Management vessel “Mount Kibo” takes on B30 bio bunker fuel
DNV: Seven steps to obtain approval for ammonia- and hydrogen-fuelled ships
Rystad Energy highlights impact of Mediterranean Sea ECA on bunker market
ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (29 Apr 2025)
CBL International reports net loss of USD 3.87 million for FY 2024
Notice of intended dividend issued for defunct bunkering firm Coastal Oil Singapore
TMD Energy becomes first Malaysian bunker supplier to list on NYSE American
Chinese shipbuilder delivers CMA CGM’s Singapore-flagged LNG-powered boxship
IMO: Outcomes of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83)
VPS on IMO 2028: A new legislative measure for the decarbonisation of shipping
Sinobunker completes first overseas bunkering operation via “Straits Integrity” at Singapore port
-
Financial Result2 weeks agoCBL International reports net loss of USD 3.87 million for FY 2024
-
Business2 weeks agoNotice of intended dividend issued for defunct bunkering firm Coastal Oil Singapore
-
Bunker Fuel1 week agoTMD Energy becomes first Malaysian bunker supplier to list on NYSE American
-
Newbuilding2 weeks agoChinese shipbuilder delivers CMA CGM’s Singapore-flagged LNG-powered boxship
-
Port & Regulatory2 weeks agoIMO: Outcomes of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83)
-
Decarbonisation2 weeks agoVPS on IMO 2028: A new legislative measure for the decarbonisation of shipping
-
Business5 days agoSinobunker completes first overseas bunkering operation via “Straits Integrity” at Singapore port
-
LNG Bunkering2 weeks agoAD Ports Group hosts first STS LNG bunkering operation at Khalifa Port