Singapore expands green corridors with LA/Long Beach agreement

The GSDC with the ports of LA and Long Beach is the second green corridor that Singapore signed following the world’s longest with the Port of Rotterdam in August last year.

“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,” S Iswaran, Singapore Minister of Transport, said at the opening ceremony of Singapore Maritime Week.

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.

The ports will work on facilitating 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,” commented Seroka.

In March the Port of LA signed agreements with the Port of Tokyo and the Port of Yokohama to establish green shipping corridors.

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Speaking in pre-recorded video at the SMW opening John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate noted 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.”

Also on the green shipping corridor front Minister Iswaran commented on the NextGEN Connect project launched by the MPA and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at SMW 2022 was starting to bear fruit. A call for proposals to offer inclusive solutions for maritime decarbonisation along specific shipping routes had received high-quality submissions with the winning proposal is 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”.

“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 explained.

Related:Digital to come first in Singapore – Rotterdam green corridor

The Minister also noted growing momentum in the shipping industry towards using alternative fuels with nearly half of all containership orders in the second half of 2022 methanol capable. The take up in biofuels was also noted with 140,000 tonnes sold to vessels in the Port of Singapore in 2022.

“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 said.