Singapore to develop alternative bunker fuels standards by 2025

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