Posted on December 13, 2023
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has signed an MoU with China’s Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission to develop the Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.
The corridor is being developed to promote the decarbonisation, digitalisation, and expansion of the maritime sector between Singapore and the Bohai Region.
The agreement will further encourage the adoption of new fuel technologies and the offtake of fuels with zero or nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The MPA released a statement emphasising the green corridors’ purpose: “The 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, and facilitate talent development to support the decarbonisation and digitalisation of shipping”.
To enable more efficient port clearance through digital exchanges, Singapore and Tianjin will collaborate with the research community.
This involves higher education institutions, and industry stakeholders including shipping lines, port operators, shipbuilders, classification societies, and bunker suppliers.
According to the MPA, its aims through this agreement include fostering innovation, supporting the expansion of the maritime startup community, and facilitating manpower training and professional development.
The MoU was signed by Mr. Wang Zhinan, Director General of Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission and Mr. Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA.
This agreement follows recent efforts from the MPA to expand its green corridor operations. The MPA and the Port of Rotterdam Authority recently set new targets for their corridor to “achieve a 20-30% reduction in emissions by 2030 on the road to net zero by 2050”.
