Team-up to establish decarbonisation centre

The centre’s mission is to facilitate decarbonisation in the maritime sector and will be supported by contributions from the founding members totalling S$120 million. Its creation follows the release of a recommendation by the International Advisory Panel on maritime decarbonisation – a Singapore Maritime Foundation initiative – to set up a centre in Singapore.

“The Foundation Det Norske Veritas is driven by a desire to help society tackle major global transformations,” said Remi Eriksen, chief executive of the Foundation Det Norske Veritas and DNV.

“We believe the deep expertise behind the Foundation complements Singapore’s status as a world-leading maritime ecosystem for sustainable energy and climate change. Working together, I am confident the centre will deliver a global impact on decarbonisation while further bolstering the Foundation’s purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment,” he added.

Foundation Det Norske Veritas has committed S$10 million, a figure matched by partners BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Ocean Network Express, Sembcorp Marine Ltd and BHP with the MPA adding S$60 million to the contributions.

Ms Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of MPA, said it was crucial to have strong public-private sector partnerships. “Maritime decarbonisation is a global challenge requiring a collective responsibility from all stakeholders involved,” she said. “The agreement signed today is a first step, which we hope will catalyse a larger, much needed momentum to make international shipping more sustainable.”

Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, regional manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV said that collaboration was key to ‘progressing on the decarbonisation pathway’. “Together with leading shipping firms in the region, we look forward to supporting the adoption of new low- and zero-carbon solutions which will help to reach the IMO greenhouse gas reduction targets,” she said.

Spanning a five-year period, Foundation Det Norske Veritas’s contribution will support research and technology development projects in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions reduction alongside collaborations with higher education institutes and research bodies.