While much of the attention has been focused on the effort
to reduce carbon emissions from large, ocean-going vessels, a number of ports
have also been planning efforts to decarbonize port traffic. Singapore is the
latest port to announce initiatives to support the reduction of emissions from
crafts operating in its harbor.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the
Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) are launching a new program designed to
support the transition of Singapore’s harbor craft towards a low-carbon future.
The two organizations jointly called for proposals from both the commercial
industry as well as universities and research institutes that address the
challenge of decarbonization in the harbor craft industry.
“Singapore is committed to investing in maritime
decarbonization technologies. Through this call, we want to spur collaborative
efforts to generate innovative ideas and facilitate cross-sharing of domain
expertise in vessel electrification between industry and academia,” said Kenneth
Lim, MPA’s Chief Technology Officer and Senior Director, Innovation,
Technology, and Talent Development. “We look forward to co-creating solutions
with our industry partners and institutes of higher learning to make our port
more sustainable.”
Singapore’s Maritime GreenFuture Fund is allocating S$9
million (approximately US$6.5 million) to co-fund viable harbor decarbonization
projects. The guideline for the proposals says that the projects should focus
on two primary areas. One is the development of commercially-ready
fully-electric harbor craft and the other is interoperable shore charging
infrastructure for electric harbor crafts and other electric vessels operating
in the Port of Singapore.
“Green supply chain is the future of shipping and for Singapore
to maintain its hub status, innovation must enable the transformation of the
shipping industry through co-creation. To accelerate our decarbonization
efforts of the local harbor craft industry, we invite industry innovators to
lead a consortium with our local researchers to deliver impact in our fight
against climate change,” said Dr. Sanjay C. Kuttan, the SMI’s Executive
Director.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2020. Additional
information about the program can be found on the MPA’s website.