Singapore and Australia agreed on Tuesday to explore opportunities to develop zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuel supply chains for the maritime industry.
The two countries inked a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on establishing a green shipping route, dubbed the Singapore-Australia Green & Digital Shipping Corridor.
The [agreement] affirms the shared commitment of Singapore and Australia to pool our expertise and resources to develop scalable green and digital solutions for the maritime sector, and upskill our workforce to support the energy transition,” said Singapore’s Minister for Transport Chee Hong.
The agreement will accelerate maritime decarbonization and digitalization through building necessary infrastructure, formalizing standards, and developing and implementing the training requirements.
Both nations will collaborate in the exchange of digital information, facilitating streamlined port clearance, port calls, and vessel flow between Singapore and Australia.
The involved parties include the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore, Australian federal, state and territory governments, as well as industry stakeholders.
“This collaboration will place Singapore and Australia amongst the leaders in contributing to the international maritime community’s objectives, while supporting Australia’s exports of clean renewable energy,” said Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government Catherine King.
Singapore is the world’s foremost bunkering hub, servicing vessels with marine fuel on a large scale owing to its strategic location and top-notch infrastructure.
Complementing this is Singapore’s dynamic research and innovation ecosystem, which fuels advancements in maritime technology, logistics optimization, and sustainable practices.
“The collaboration is expected to help catalyze the development and uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies and the adoption of digital solutions to enhance the resilience, efficiency and sustainability of global maritime supply chains,” said the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore and the Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications & the Arts in a joint statement.
