Posted on February 26, 2024
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has shortlisted 11 passenger launch and cargo lighter vessel designs submitted by seven companies and consortia, to promote the development and adoption of full electric harbor craft in the city-state.
This follows MPA’s expression of interest on July 10, 2023 for designs, after which it received 55 proposals from 32 international and local companies and consortia — signaling “high interest and strong confidence” in the development of e-HC in Singapore, it said in a statement Feb. 23.
“Together with various research institutes — including the Institute of High-Performance Computing, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine and the Tropical Marine Science Institute — and institutes of higher learning — including Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore, the Singapore Institute of Technology and the Singapore University of Technology and Design — MPA will support an enhancement program for our researchers in the maritime domain to enhance ship designs, improve safety and cybersecurity and reduce energy requirements,” it said.
The collaborative approach will not only reduce overall design costs as they scale up but also facilitate ongoing improvements, MPA said, adding that once the designs and prototypes are ready, players will be able to market them to interested parties and aggregate industry demand.
Of the 11 e-HC designs, six have secured the relevant technical approvals from classification societies such as the American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, China Classification Society, DNV and RINA, MPA said.
“The six designs submitted by the Coastal Sustainability Alliance, marinEV and Pyxis Maritime Pte. Ltd. demonstrate [a] strong understanding of Singapore’s requirements in areas including battery specifications, digital and cyber systems, training requirements and the development of local capability,” it said, adding that participants will be working directly with MPA and its researchers over the next two to six months to optimize and validate their designs.
The remaining five proposals were submitted by CAEV+ Consortium, China Everbright Environment Group Ltd., Cyan Renewables Consortium3 and Gennal Engineering Pte. Ltd., MPA said.
MPA will work with the participants to optimize ship hull and electrical system designs, fire-resilient battery room layouts and cyber health monitoring systems to strengthen the energy efficiency and safety of ships, while also targeting other aspects.
Supporting the harbor craft sector
MPA recently announced three vessel charging concepts to be piloted in Singapore, following the call for proposals in August 2023 to develop, operate and maintain e-HC charging points in the city-state.
Insights from this data will guide the development of a national masterplan, implementation strategy, and standards for e-HC charging infrastructure, it said.
MPA said it is also working with Enterprise Singapore, industry stakeholders and academia to develop a technical reference for e-HC charging, targeting its completion for public consultation by the second quarter of 2024.
In 2023, MPA invited financial institutions and intermediaries to submit financing and insurance solutions through an EOI to help early movers with the higher upfront costs of owning e-HC.
The EOI, which closed Dec. 19, 2023, drew several proposals that are currently being evaluated, MPA said.
For biofuels, blends of up to B50 are already commercially available, MPA said, adding that it is working with industry players to develop standards for up to B100.
“New harbor craft from 2030 [will] have the option for engines capable of running on B100 biofuel or compatible with net zero fuels such as hydrogen when they become more readily available,” MPA added.
Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering port, recorded bunker fuel sales volumes of 51.82 million mt in 2023, breaking its previous record of 50.64 million mt in 2017, according to MPA data.
