Rotterdam, Singapore strengthen collaboration on green, digital shipping corridor

Photo: Jerry Lampen

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam announced the signing of a cooperation agreement March 25 to further strengthen their efforts on the Rotterdam-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.  

This follows the success of the corridor as a driving force of maritime decarbonization and digitalization since its inception in 2022. 

The two ports have since brought together 28 partners across the entire container-shipping value chain to drive the deployment of sustainable fuels on the 15,000-kilometer shipping route and implement digital solutions for improved efficiency.  

The collective ambition is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions of large container vessels on the corridor by between 20 percent and 30 percent by 2030, while accelerating the adoption of global standards and solutions to facilitate efficient port calls, flow of goods, and enable paperless handling. 

Encouraging uptake of low- and zero-emission fuels 

To support the decarbonization of shipping, the collaboration focused on testing and accelerating the adoption of sustainable fuels, with the aim of making them available, accepted and affordable for large-scale use.  

Emphasis will be on bio- and e-variants of ammonia, methanol and methane, with working groups established for each fuel type.   

Since 2022, several first-mover pilot projects have been carried out, including the first successful bunkering of mass-balanced liquefied biomethane at the Port of Rotterdam.  

A similar trial is planned in Singapore in 2025.  

Other achievements include the completion of a lifecycle greenhouse-gas assessment of green ammonia as a marine fuel and strong support for the development and implementation of the Port Readiness Framework of the International Association of Ports and Harbors, which helps ports assess their preparedness to supply sustainable marine fuels. 

In the next phase, the partners plan to conduct further studies and trials for the bunkering of biomethane, methanol and ammonia to support their future use along the shipping corridor.  

They also aim to develop and mobilize financial instruments to address the cost barriers associated with using low- and near-zero emission fuels. 

Efficient, digitalized port calls  

On the digital front, the two ports have successfully trialed the exchange of port-to-port data to exchange vessel arrival and departure timestamps.  

In support of digital initiatives by the International Maritime Organization, this effort aims to optimize vessel-arrival planning and port operations between Singapore and Rotterdam. 

Both ports have also established ship-to-shore data-exchange infrastructure to enable efficient and secure submission of port-clearance information.  

This saves time and minimizes data-entry errors through automated data filling.  

The first phase to trial the use of global standards and digital solutions began in March, with an enhanced solution scheduled for testing in the second half of 2025. 

Both government and industry partners are at Singapore Maritime Week to advance the discussions and work on realizing the goals of the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.  

“The continued progress through the Singapore-Rotterdam GDSC is testament to the role of public-private collaboration to bring decarbonization and digitalization initiatives from ideas to implementation,” said Teo Eng Dih, the chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. “We look forward to collaborating with more partners to bring impact to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and accelerate the decarbonization and digitalization of the shipping industry.” 

Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, added, “By bringing together parties across the entire value chain, the Rotterdam-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor has helped to make first, valuable steps towards the decarbonization of international shipping while also improving efficiency of trade and setting new industry standards. At the same time, we still have a lot of work ahead of us and we are looking forward to continuing our work on this together with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.”