Singapore Signs Green Corridor Agreement with Ports of LA/Long Beach

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has signed an MoU with the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), with the support of C40 Cities, to build a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex to boost decarbonisation of the maritime industry and enhance efficiencies through digitalisation.

In August last year, the MPA established as the world’s longest GDSC  with the Port of Rotterdam.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Singapore Maritime Week, S. Iswaran, Singapore Minister of Transport, said, “This GDSC, which is supported by C40 Cities, will accelerate the decarbonisation of international shipping along the critical Transpacific-trade lane. This GDSC complements existing bilateral initiatives between Singapore and the United States, such as the US-Singapore Climate Partnership, and the US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation.”

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Chief Executive Teo Eng Dih, Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka, and Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach.

As per the MoU, the ports will work on assisting the supply and adoption of low-and-zero emission low carbon fuels and explore required infrastructure and regulations for bunkering.

“No single port or organisation can tackle the challenge of decarbonising the supply chain alone, not matter how innovative their technology or robust efforts,” pointed out Seroka.

Last month, the Port of LA signed a pact with the Port of Tokyo and the Port of Yokohama to establish green shipping corridors.

Commenitng on this, John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate remarked that the maritime sector would be world’s eighth largest emitter if it was a country and responsible for approximately one gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions a year. “But the good news is that many shipping companies, ports, and countries are stepping up. Today’s MoU is one those pieces of good news,” he added.

Iswaran revealed that the NextGEN Connect project launched by the MPA and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at SMW 2022  is proving to be fruitful. He further informed that a call for proposals to offer inclusive solutions for maritime decarbonisation along specific shipping routes had received high-quality submissions with the winning proposal by the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (LR MDH), for the “Development of a Route-Based Action Plan Methodology based upon the Silk Alliance”.

He explained,“The Silk Alliance is a green shipping corridor project. It trials emissions saving strategies for container ships operating primarily in Asia, based on LR MDH’s First Movers Framework. This proposal reaffirms the pragmatic and inclusive approach needed to accelerate the adoption of low and zero-emission solutions.’

The Minister also informed about the growing momentum in the shipping industry towards using alternative fuels. “The take up in biofuels was also noted with 140,000 tonnes sold to vessels in the Port of Singapore in 2022,” said he.

“Later this year, we will conclude the Expression of Interest for ammonia bunkering and power generation, and conduct our first methanol bunkering pilot,” Minister Iswaran pointed out.