Business
SMW 2023: Joint opening ceremony held for MarineTech Conference and Sea Asia Exhibition
Sea Asia will feature more than 10 national pavilions, as well as zones dedicated to specific areas such as bunker fuels and lubricants, decarbonisation solutions, and marine supplies.

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8 months agoon
By
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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (25 April) said the MarineTech Conference was opened by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport.
Held from 25 to 26 April 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the conference brings together more than 50 global industry speakers from 16 countries to discuss challenges and innovation opportunities, share insights on emerging technologies, and identify ways to accelerate maritime transformation.
Topics on smart ports and ships, green and digital shipping corridors, innovation and start-ups, decarbonisation and green technologies, maritime cybersecurity, and technologies to empower seafarers, was discussed across 14 panel and speaker sessions.
Key overseas speakers include Francis Zachariae, Secretary-General, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), as well as representatives of major shipping companies, innovation and venture capital players and industry associations such as International Association of Ports and Harbours and the Digital Container Shipping Association.
MOU Signings at MarineTech Conference
MPA and PSA Singapore renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port Technology Research and Development Programme. As part of the MoU, MPA and PSA will each commit $12 million to support transformative R&D projects.
The conference also hosted the signing of other MoUs and agreements between industry partners including:
- ZEBOX co-innovation agreement with Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, PSA unboXed and Synergy Marine Group to develop game-changing solutions with startups for operational efficiency, assets optimisation and decarbonisation, workflow automation, and future of work;
- Master Agreement Framework for Maritime AI Research Programme led by A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing to drive industry transformation and adoption of maritime AI solutions; and
- MoU by Coastal Sustainability Alliance and its new partners to support decarbonisation of Singapore’s domestic harbour craft sector by developing an electric vessel ecosystem, including charging stations, marine logistics and services, as well as workforce upgrading.
Sea Asia 2023
Sea Asia 2023 was opened today by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and Environment & Ministry of Transport. Organised in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week, Sea Asia is a flagship tradeshow held biennially to provide a platform for industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and explore the latest trends shaping the future of the maritime industry.
From 25-27 April 2023, the 9th edition of Sea Asia will see over 300 exhibitors from more than 70 participating countries showcasing innovative solutions across the maritime value chain. The event will feature more than 10 national pavilions, as well as zones dedicated to specific areas such as marine fuels and lubricants, decarbonisation solutions, and marine supplies. Within the MarineTech zone, the PIER71™pavilion featured various R&D and technology solutions developed by maritime enterprises, start-ups and technology developers under the PIER71™ programme.
One such exhibitor is SunGreenH2, a Singapore based cleantech start-up that had won a Special Mention in the 2022 edition of PIER71’s™ Smart Port Challenge for its proposal on their hydrogen producing electrolysers. Since then, it has secured opportunities to pilot their high-performance electrolyser on Jurong Island, which is able to produce two times more green hydrogen from purified water at 10% lower energy consumption. Beyond Singapore, the start-up will be deploying their first commercial electrolysers with Spain’s Naturgy Innovahub and has also been invited by the Hamburg Government to demonstrate their electrolyser at the German Aerospace Research Institute ZAL in May 2023.
The tradeshow will also offer a unique opportunity and space for attendees to participate in knowledge-sharing sessions and dialogues led by industry professionals. Titled “Knowledge Sharing Theatre’, there will be more than 25 presentations and product demonstrations led by exhibitors over three days.
Port Authorities Chief Information Officers Cybersecurity Network (PACC-Net)
In conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2023, an inaugural table-top exercise (TTX) for the Port Authorities Chief Information Officers Cybersecurity Network (PACC-Net) will be held on 27 April 2023 to test and exercise the information sharing protocols.
The TTX will involve Chief Information Officers and Chief Information Security Officers from international port operators and authorities including MPA, Montreal Port Authority, National Ports Agency of Morocco, Port Klang Authority, Port of Seattle, and Tanger Med Special Agency (Port Authority). The TTX will simulate a ransomware affecting multiple ports across regions, and PACC-Net members will work out a collaborative response to share critical information early and manage the ransomware.
The proposal for PACC-Net was tabled by MPA at the 5th edition of the Port Authorities Roundtable in Kobe, Japan in 2019 and launched in October 2020. The PACC-Net aims to enhance cybersecurity awareness within the maritime sector and facilitate early sharing of cyber information to counter potential maritime cyber security threats. These collaborations are important as the industry become more digitalised and connected as a cyber incident in one place can quickly impact the supply chain globally.
Note: The full list of MoUs signed by industry partners during MarineTech Conference can be found here and details on SMW 2023 can be viewed here.
Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 26 April, 2023
Biofuel
China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers completes first biofuel bunkering op of passenger ship in Dalian
Firm successfully refuelled passenger ship “Chang Shan Dao” owned by Cosco Shipping Ferry with B24 bio bunker fuel on 29 November at Dalian Cruise Port.

Published
3 days agoon
December 8, 2023By
Admin
China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers Co., Ltd. on Wednesday (29 November) successfully refuelled passenger ship "Chang Shan Dao" owned by Cosco Shipping Ferry Co., Ltd. with B24 bio bunker fuel at the Dalian Cruise Port.
The occasion marked the first biofuel bunkering operation for passenger ships in China.
The B24 biofuel oil used was blended with 24% biofuel and 76% conventional low-sulphur fuel oil.
Sinopec China Shipping Fuel Supply, which is responsible for the bunkering operation, is a bunker supply firm jointly established by Sinopec Group and COSCO Shipping Group.
According to Li Zhi, Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy General Manager of China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers Co., Ltd., the biofuel bunkering business is another step in the company's active business of the group's development strategy.
The bunkering operation after the firm completed the first bonded biofuel bunkering operation of a domestic ship on 7 September.
Disclaimer: The above article published by Manifold Times was sourced from China’s domestic market through a local correspondent. While considerable efforts have been taken to verify its accuracy through a professional translator and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty is made regarding the accuracy, completeness and reliability of any information.
Photo credit: China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers
Published: 8 December, 2023
Alternative Fuels
Singapore, Tianjin to pilot and trial alternative bunker fuels following shipping corridor MoU
Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor will serve as a valuable testbed for both countries to pilot and trial digital solutions, alternative fuels and technologies, amongst others.

Published
3 days agoon
December 8, 2023By
Admin
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the People’s Republic of China’s Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission on Wednesday (6 December) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.
Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive, MPA, and Mr Wang Zhinan, Director General, Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, signed this MoU.
The MoU marked the first Green and Digital Shipping Corridor established between Singapore and China to support the decarbonisation, digitalisation and growth of the maritime industry between Singapore and the Bohai Region.
The Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor will serve as a valuable testbed for both countries to pilot and trial digital solutions, alternative bunker fuels and technologies, and facilitate talent development to support the decarbonisation and digitalisation of shipping.
Singapore and Tianjin will work with the research community, the institutes of higher learning, and industry stakeholders such as shipping lines, port operators, shipbuilders, classification societies, and bunker suppliers to enable more efficient port clearance through digital exchanges, encourage the offtake of zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels and adoption of new fuel technologies, spur innovation and support the growth of the maritime startups community, and facilitate manpower training and professional development.
The establishment of the Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor reaffirms the strong commitment by Singapore and Tianjin to accelerate maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation. Singapore will also be exploring the establishment of similar collaboration with other maritime and port ecosystems within China.
Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 8 December, 2023
Decarbonisation
Report highlights routes-based action plan methodology to accelerate uptake of clean bunker fuels
NextGEN Connect-GreenVoyage2050 collaboration, which includes Singapore, emphasises the important role of regional energy hubs in enabling the inclusive adoption of clean marine fuels.

Published
3 days agoon
December 8, 2023By
Admin
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Thursday (7 December) said the NextGEN Connect-Green Voyage2050 Project identified a key role for regional hubs to help connect large demand clusters and remote locations, with regional fuel supply sources, in order to enable a more inclusive and effective transition to a low-carbon maritime future.
The project is a collaboration between Singapore, Norway and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
These findings were unveiled in the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (LR MDH) report titled Routes-based Action Plans: A Toolkit launched at the Voyage to Net-Zero Forum, which was organised by MPA, at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28/CMP8/CMA5) yesterday.
The report was developed following a workshop discussion that was held from 5 to 6 October 2023 in Singapore, with the participation of 40 stakeholders representing ports and National Administrations across Asia, based on the concept of the LR MDH’s First Movers Framework for green corridors. The workshop simulated the process steps of the routes-based action plan methodology, addressing the limitations in its application in the wider Asian context. Additional engagements with stakeholders from the Pacific are envisaged to further refine the methodology.
“One of the key findings in our report highlighted the varying pace of decarbonisation efforts across the Asian region and the need for regional coordination among governments to establish energy clusters that will serve both as demand centres and energy producing hubs” said Charles Haskell, Director at LR MDH.
The creation of energy producing hubs includes defining a strategy that brings together demand from different countries at different developmental stages across the region to build up investment cases for implementing energy infrastructure at scale, all the while taking into consideration the economic and social benefits for local communities.
The report also emphasised that routes-based action plans should be steered by national governments to give confidence to the industry’s infrastructure investment decisions, with development banks and regional funds needing to play a part to help tailor financing solutions to support infrastructure development.
“If we truly want to achieve a net-zero future where no one is left behind, we cannot focus only on existing first mover initiatives. We must also study locations where the energy infrastructure is still in its infancy”, added Charles Haskell.
Essential to driving the implementation of routes-based action plans, as highlighted in the report, is the pooling of resources and capacity building to develop the business case for building the necessary infrastructure for regional hubs that include Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This will require regional coordination and collaboration involving governments and all stakeholders across the maritime supply chain.
Mr. Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, said: “As we steer toward a sustainable maritime future, fostering a collective and inclusive approach is imperative in the development of green corridors and the energy transition to decarbonise international shipping.”
“The NextGEN Connect-GreenVoyage2050 collaboration emphasises the important role of regional energy hubs in enabling the inclusive adoption of clean marine fuels, particularly for LDCs and SIDSs. MPA looks forward to continuing its collaboration with IMO, Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway and LR MDH to pilot solutions to reduce GHG emissions from ships and drive innovative transformations in the maritime industry.”
Sveinung Oftedal, Chief Negotiator of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, said: “Separate routes for emission-free ferries and ships can play an essential role in stimulating early action to adopt zero or near-zero emission technologies and fuels, and hence are an important step towards decarbonising shipping. There is currently a significant volume of maritime traffic between Asian countries, and our workshop was a great forum to discuss opportunities the decarbonisation of maritime shipping can bring and how efforts can be linked to countries’ wider energy transition.”
Jose Matheickal, IMO Director of Partnerships and Projects, said: “Supporting developing countries, including SIDS and LDCs, in their efforts to implement the 2023 IMO Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships is imperative to the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. IMO is pleased to provide, through this collaboration, practical support around the development and subsequent implementation of National Action Plans and route-based actions in line with IMO’s MEPC RESOLUTION.366(79) that encourages Member States to undertake these voluntary actions to facilitate the achievement of greener shipping and reduced emissions.”
Note: ‘Routes-based action Plans: a toolkit’ can be found here.
Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 8 December, 2023

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