The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Port of Rotterdam on Tuesday (25 March) said they have signed a Cooperation Agreement to further strengthen their efforts on the Rotterdam-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor. 

This follows the success of the corridor as a driving force of maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation since its inception in 2022.

The two ports have since brought together 28 partners across the entire container shipping value chain to drive the deployment of sustainable fuels on the 15,000-kilometer shipping route and implement digital solutions for improved efficiency. 

The collective ambition is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of large container vessels on the corridor by 20-30% by 2030, while accelerating the adoption of global standards and solutions to facilitate efficient port calls, flow of goods, and enable paperless handling.

To support the decarbonisation of shipping, the collaboration focused on testing and accelerating the adoption of sustainable fuels, with the aim of making them available, accepted and affordable for large-scale use. Emphasis will be on bio- and e-variants of ammonia, methanol, and methane, with working groups established for each fuel type.

Since 2022, several first-mover pilot projects have been carried out, including the first successful bunkering of mass-balanced liquefied bio-methane at the Port of Rotterdam. A similar trial is planned in Singapore in 2025. 

Other achievements include the completion of a Life Cycle greenhouse gas Assessment (LCA) of green ammonia as a marine fuel, and strong support for the development and implementation of the Port Readiness Framework of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which helps ports assess their preparedness to supply sustainable marine fuels.

In the next phase, the partners plan to conduct further studies and trials for the bunkering of bio-methane, methanol and ammonia to support their future use along the shipping corridor. They also aim to develop and mobilise financial instruments to address the cost barriers associated with using low- and near-zero emission fuels.

On the digital front, the two ports have successfully trialled the exchange of port-toport data to exchange vessel arrival and departure timestamps. In support of digital initiatives  by the IMO, this effort aims to optimise vessel arrival planning and port operations between Singapore and Rotterdam. 

Both ports have also established ship-to-shore data exchange infrastructure to enable efficient and secure submission of port clearance information. This saves time and minimises data entry errors through automated data filling. The first phase to trial the use of global standards and digital solutions began in March 2025, with an enhanced solution scheduled for testing in the second half of 2025.

Both government and industry partners are at Singapore Maritime Week to advance the discussions and work on realising the goals of the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.

Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “The continued progress through the Singapore-Rotterdam Green and Digital Shipping Corridor is testament to the role of public private collaboration to bring decarbonisation and digitalisation initiatives from ideas to implementation.”

“We look forward to collaborating with more partners to bring impact to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and accelerate the decarbonisation and digitalisation of the shipping industry.”

Mr Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, said, “By bringing together parties across the entire value chain, the Rotterdam-Singapore Green & Digital Shipping Corridor has helped to make first, valuable steps towards the decarbonisation of international shipping while also improving efficiency of trade and setting new industry standards.”

“At the same time, we still have a lot of work ahead of us and we are looking forward to continue our work on this together with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.”

Related: SMW 2024: Singapore-Rotterdam Green and Digital Shipping Corridor partners to implement first-mover pilot projects

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 March, 2025