Posted on August 3, 2022
Singapore and Rotterdam have joined forces to develop the world’s longest green shipping corridor for low and zero carbon shipping.
The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Port of Rotterdam inked a memorandum of understanding to establish the green and digital corridor on the sidelines of the biennial World Cities Summit in Singapore.
Under the deal, signed by MPA chief executive Quah Ley Hoon and Allard Castelein, chief executive of the Port of Rotterdam, the two partners will look to bring together stakeholders across the supply chain to realise the first sustainable vessels sailing on the route by 2027.
Being among the world’s largest bunkering hubs, the two ports agreed to bring together a broad coalition of shippers, fuel suppliers, and other companies to collectively work on potential solutions for alternative fuels such as synthetic methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen-based fuels including ammonia and methanol.
In addition, the aim is to also optimise maritime efficiency, safety, and the transparent flow of goods by creating a digital trade lane where relevant data, electronic documentation and standards are shared, the partners said.
The port authorities will work with the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero-Carbon Shipping as action partners, as well as other industry partners across the supply chain, including BP, CMA CGM, Digital Container Shipping Association, Maersk, MSC, Ocean Network Express, PSA International, and Shell for a start.
“This will enable the green and digital corridor project to raise investor confidence, attract green financing, and kickstart joint bunkering pilots and trials for digitalisation and the use of low- and zero carbon fuels along the route,” a joint statement by MPA and Port of Rotterdam said.
In January, Splash reported on how two of the most important port pairings in global container shipping are to create a green corridor. The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Shanghai have committed to creating a green shipping corridor on one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes, while last November, the Belgian port of Antwerp and the Canadian port of Montreal signed a cooperation agreement to support the creation of a green shipping corridor in the North Atlantic.
