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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.

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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.

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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. 

MPA and Port of Rotterdam sign MoU to form world’s longest Green and Digital Corridor

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

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Hydrogen

LR MDH joins call to accelerate adoption of zero-emission bunker fuels by 2030

Call to action organised by RMI, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, the UCL Energy Institute, and the United Nations Foundation.

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LR MDH joins call to accelerate adoption of zero emission fuels by 2030

Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (LR MDH) on Tuesday (12 November) joined more than 50 firms across the spectrum of the shipping value chain — e-fuel producers, vessel and cargo owners, ports, and equipment manufacturers — in signing a Call to Action today at COP 29 to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission marine fuels.

Organised by RMI, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, the UCL Energy Institute, and the United Nations Foundation, the Call to Action demonstrates strong industry momentum to invest in decarbonisation through scalable zero-emission marine fuel pathways.

The joint statement calls for faster and bolder action to increase zero and near-zero emissions fuel uptake, investment in zero-emissions vessels, and global development of green hydrogen infrastructure, leaving no country behind.

James Forsdyke, Managing Director of LR MDH, said: “We are proud to be part of this initiative dedicated to expand the production of green hydrogen as a marine fuel or as an enabler for synthetic zero to near-zero carbon fuels. One of the biggest tasks ahead of us is developing a robust and reliable green hydrogen supply chain to deliver zero carbon fuels to vessels in key maritime hubs in ways that are safe, sustainable and that benefit all shipping stakeholders, particularly seafarers and port communities.

“In line with the Lloyd's Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub's mission to accelerate the safe, sustainable, and human-centric transition of the maritime industry, we have spearheaded initiatives like the Silk Alliance green corridor cluster and Maritime Fuel Supply Dialogues, to aggregate first mover efforts at a regional level and create stronger infrastructure for green hydrogen projects. Being part of this call to action reinforces our commitment to advance the use of hydrogen produced from renewable resources as an important tool in decarbonising shipping.”

In anticipation of this regulatory milestone, the signatories outline several key recommendations to expedite the adoption of hydrogen-derived fuels, namely the need for clear, ambitious mid-term measures; a balanced approach to revenue distribution to help bridge the cost gap between fossil fuels and scalable zero-emission fuels (SZEFs); and evidence that key milestones for practical use of SZEFs are advancing.

To align with a 1.5°C pathway, global green hydrogen production must double by 2030, translating to the uptake of at least 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen in the shipping sector. To accomplish this, coordinated action is needed across the supply chain to expand the supply and adoption of zero or near zero-emission shipping fuels such as e-ammonia and e-methanol, build up the ecosystem synergistically, and deliver on a just and equitable transition.

Close collaboration between green hydrogen producers, shipping actors, and policymakers is vital to securing the enabling conditions and investments that will deliver shipping’s clean energy transition.

“The Green Hydrogen Catapult is proud to support this initiative. Collaboration across the maritime value chain is key to an accelerated, just, and equitable transition of the sector to renewable fuels, and partnerships are key to building and maintaining momentum,” said Oleksiy Tatarenko, the leader of RMI’s hydrogen initiatives and the Green Hydrogen Catapult, a coalition of green hydrogen market leaders promoting the aggressive global adoption of green hydrogen.

Ports and port service companies, alongside financiers, have also added their support to the Call to Action, committing to investing in hydrogen-derived fuel infrastructure and safety projects to support bunkering of e-fuels.

 

Photo credit: Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub
Published: 13 November 2024

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Alternative Fuels

IMO advances training for seafarers on LNG-fuelled ships

Subregional ‘train-the-trainer’ workshop focused on seafarers onboard LNG-fuelled ships subject to the IGF Code.

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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Monday (11 November) said seafarer trainers from Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam were put through their paces for liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled ships with advanced simulator and practical training at a workshop in Ashiya and Yokosuka, Japan.

The subregional "train-the-trainer" workshop (30 October to 6 November) focused on seafarers onboard LNG-fuelled ships subject to the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code).

The workshop is part of IMO efforts to ensure seafarers are well-equipped to operate LNG-fuelled ships safely and effectively. The workshop included three major components: classroom lectures; LNG bunkering simulator trainings at the Marine Technical College in Ashiya, Japan, and advanced emergency responses exercises at the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre (MDPC) in Yokosuka, Japan.

The participants gained hands-on experience with LNG bunkering simulators. They learned how to use Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), gas detector, emergency measures for LNG leakage, low-temperature brittleness, as well as fire control, extinguishing agents and firefighting procedures and in particular, LNG (stored and supplied in -162 °C) had been utilised during the exercises.

The nine trainers gained knowledge and experience, and were ready to take the skills back to their own training institutions, to enhance their programmes and strengthen training capacity for seafarers on LNG and other alternative-fuelled vessels.

The workshop was based on the requirements under the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention and Code, taking into account model courses 7.13 and 714 on the Basic and Advanced training for masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on ships subject to the IGF Code.

In accordance with regulation V/3 of the STCW Convention, every candidate for a certificate in advanced training for service on ships subject to the IGF Code shall have completed at least one month of approved seagoing service that includes a minimum of three bunkering operations on board ships subject to the IGF Code. Two of the three bunkering operations may be replaced by approved simulator training on bunkering operations.

The workshop was co-organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism of Japan and the IMO Secretariat, under IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), with sponsorship from the Nippon Foundation and support from the Japan Ship Technology Research Association and the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers.

The IMO Secretariat is collaborating closely with Member States and international organizations to advance training of seafarers operating LNG-fuelled and other alternative-fuelled ships, supporting the maritime industry's need for skilled and qualified personnel.

 

Photo credit: International Maritime Organization
Published: 13 November 2024

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Alternative Fuels

Singapore: A*STAR advances safety in handling of future marine fuels

Funds project to develop tool to predict the dispersion of ammonia and methanol in the event of accidental leakages during bunkering operations.

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Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) on Thursday (7 November) awarded funding to a bunkering project at the 14th edition of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Forum.

The project, titled Dispersion Analysis and Simulations for Handling (DASH) of Future Fuels, is led and hosted by A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing (A*STAR IHPC).

This joint initiative includes other A*STAR research institutes and public research partners such as CNRS@CREATE, the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), and the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The project focuses on developing a multi-fidelity planning tool to predict the dispersion of ammonia and methanol in the event of accidental leakages during bunkering operations.

Essentially, the tool will integrate dispersion analysis, consequence simulations, and real-time environmental data to create a safety and risk management system that provides insights into the behaviour of these next-generation fuels.

The developed tool will be used to develop effective preventive measures, emergency response strategies, and mitigation plans for such scenarios.

“A*STAR IHPC is dedicated to developing next-generation tools to improve the design and safety of multi-fuel bunkering operations,” said Dr Su Yi, Executive Director of A*STAR IHPC.

“Through close collaboration with our partners, we aim to equip industry stakeholders with advanced simulation tools that assess potential leak scenarios and enhance safety planning, operations, and emergency response.

“This enables more informed, strategic decision-making that supports the maritime sector’s journey toward safer, more sustainable fuel solutions,”

Dr Chen Xinwei, Deputy Executive Director of SMI added, “Decarbonisation and sustainability are critical challenges facing the maritime industry.”

“SMI is pleased to support the DASH project with funding, highlighting our commitment to advancing the safe handling of alternative fuels – an essential step in achieving the sector’s decarbonisation objectives.”

 

Photo credit: Singapore Maritime Institute
Published: 11 November 2024

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