The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Monday (8 April) has launched the first pilot trial for electric harbour craft (e-HC) charging point at the Marina South Pier (MSP) in Singapore following an earlier call for proposals (CFP) to develop and operate e-HC charging points at various locations under a two-year pilot scheme. 

According to a joint statement, the charging point at MSP was awarded to the Pyxis Energy Pte Ltd, Pyxis Maritime Pte Ltd, and SP Mobility Pte Ltd partnership. 

Pyxis’s fleet of e-HCs operating at MSP will serve as the base offtake to ensure optimisation of the charging infrastructure and enable comprehensive data to be gathered. Insights from the data collected will contribute towards the development of a national e-HC charging infrastructure masterplan, implementation plan, and national standards for e-HC charging infrastructure.

Under this pilot, the Pyxis and SP Mobility partnership has deployed a 150-kilowatt (kW) land-based Direct Current fast charger with a Combined Charging System 2 connector at MSP. 

This charger can charge an e-HC with an approximate battery capacity of 500 kWh in around 3 hours and enable an operating range of about 50 nautical miles, or about 90 km. Users of the e-HC charger will need to scan a QR code using the SP app and make the payment via the app, similar to users of electric vehicles.  

150-kilowatt (kW) land-based Direct Current fast charger with a Combined Charging System 2 connector at MSP

MPA is working with Enterprise Singapore, industry stakeholders and academia to develop a Technical Reference (TR) for e-HC charging and battery swap system. The draft TR will be ready for public consultation by mid-April 2024.

Capt M Segar, MPA Assistant Chief Executive (Operations), said, “Public-private partnership is key to promote wider adoption of e-HC in Singapore, including working together to improve the e-HC vessel and battery designs, support development of the technical standard, lower financing barriers, and building the charging infrastructure to give confidence to users and encourage wider adoption.”

Mr Tommy Phun, Founder of Pyxis, said, “We are delighted to announce the commencement of charging operations at Marina South Pier for the X Tron, the inaugural vessel from Pyxis’ flagship product line, the Pyxis One series of electric vessels.”

“Tailored specifically for the dynamic Singapore port market, the Pyxis One seamlessly shuttles passengers between mainland Singapore and ships stationed at the anchorage.”

“With a purpose-built aluminium catamaran hull, an efficient electric propulsion chain, and an IoT-enabled digital ecosystem platform, the Pyxis One pushes the boundaries of innovation and brings significant productivity gains compared to traditional diesel vessels.”

“In addition to our electric harbour craft meeting Singapore’s 2030 and 2050 targets early, there is also expected total ownership cost savings compared to our traditional vessels.”

Mr Dean Cher, Head (Mobility), Sustainable Energy Solutions, SP Group, said, “We are committed to leading the decarbonisation of the transport sector, from land to sea, cars to harbour craft.”

“This very first public marine charging point at Marina South Pier is a small but important step in providing the marine industry with decarbonisation options and our partnership with Pyxis will lead the way to wider e-HC adoption in Singapore.”  

In addition to the Pyxis and SP Mobility partnership, MPA has also awarded an innovative mobile charging concept proposed by Seatrium O&G (International) Pte Ltd, and a high power (350-450 kW) DC Charger proposed by Yinson Electric Pte Ltd. MPA will continue to work with the two companies to further develop their proposals for applications in Singapore.

From 2030, all new harbour craft operating in the Port of Singapore will have to be fully electric, be capable of using B100 biofuel, or be compatible with net zero fuels such as hydrogen. For biofuels, blends of up to B50 are already commercially available. MPA is working with industry to develop the standards for up to B100.

MPA recently shortlisted 11 passenger launch and cargo lighter vessel designs following an expression of interest launched for e-HC designs. These designs will be further enhanced and progressively marketed to aggregate demand from the industry to help lower production cost for companies.

The expanded Enterprise Financing Scheme-Green (EFS-Green) was recently announced at the Committee of Supply Debate 2024. From April 2024, harbour craft owners and operators may apply for loans with risk-share of 70% by participating Financial Institutions. 

Maritime companies can also tap the Energy Efficiency Grant by end-2024, which will provide two tiers of support for energy-efficient equipment. Under the base tier, they can receive up to 70% co-funding for pre-approved energy efficient domestic port and harbour craft equipment until March 2026. Across both tiers, they can receive up to SGD 350,000 per company support.

Note: The Annex on the charger and vessel specification sheets can be viewed here.

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Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 8 April 2024