Singapore MPA signs ammonia MoUs

The first MPA MoU, signed with ITOCHU Corporation, ITOCHU Enex, MOL, Pavilion Energy, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, and VOPAK Terminals, will seek to establish an ammonia fuel supply chain, including an on-shore and/or off-shore facility and an ammonia bunkering ship in Singapore. The MoU is a key element of an integrated project that included the development of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers by ITOCHU with other partners.

The second MoU with ITOCHU and 15 other Port Authorities, R&D centres and shipping and energy companies, will establish a platform for the parties to exchange views and harmonise ammonia bunkering safety guidelines in the respective ports.

The third MoU with the SABRE consortium, comprising the American Bureau of Shipping, Fleet Management Limited, K-Line, Keppel O&M, A.P. Moller – Maersk, Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and Sumitomo Corporation, will work on development works to establish an integrated ammonia supply chain, with the goal to commence ammonia bunkering within this decade.

More decarbonisation deals

The Global Centre of Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) also signed up four new partners at the Accelerating Decarbonisation Conference: bp, Boston Consulting Group, Chevron and the International Chamber of Shipping.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) was formed on 1 August 2021 with funding from the MPA and six founding partners, namely BHP, BW, DNV Foundation, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Ocean Network Express and Sembcorp Marine. The Centre’s mission is to help the maritime industry reduce its carbon emissions as quickly as possible by shaping standards, deploying solutions, financing projects, and fostering collaboration across sectors.

bp, the first integrated energy company to sign on as a Strategic Partner, has committed S$10M in cash over five years.

The Boston Consulting Group and Chevron will bring a further S$15M in cash and in-kind contributions through Impact Partnerships. These resources, in addition to the S$130M from the founding and strategic partners, will go towards strengthening GCMD’s decarbonisation efforts, especially in conducting trials and pilots.

GCMD also signed on the International Chamber of Shipping as well as the Singapore Shipping Association as Coalition Partners, which will allow GCMD to tap on the respective association’s extensive stakeholder network and expertise.

The first integrated energy companies to join the Centre, bp and Chevron bring their expertise and experience as energy producers and end users to the table. Through the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), GCMD aims to leverage its strong maritime membership base for inputs on regulatory and operational hurdles, and for GCMD to share learnings from the Centre’s decarbonisation projects. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) brings insights on macro trends in decarbonisation to help frame the Centre’s efforts.

Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry) of MPA, said: “In our rapidly evolving interconnected world, we need international partnerships and a robust ecosystem of partners to decarbonise.”