A Riviera news source states that Singapore goes electric, LoI signed for supply vessel newbuilds.
e-supply boats
So-called e-supply boats will be among the first zero-emissions, electric vessels to operate in the region.
If the deal goes forward as intended, one of the vessels will be built locally, in Singapore.
PaxOcean has designed and engineered the first-generation e-supply boat PXO-EXL-1. The vessels will support coastal ships’ supply deliveries, and the design has received approval in principle from various classification societies, including the International Association of Classification Societies, Bureau Veritas Marine and Registro Italiano Navale (RINA).
The PXO e-supply vessels are expected to operate in tandem with the charging electric infrastructure network made available in partnership with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Jurong Port.
Emissions-free by 2030
Singapore’s MPA has mandated that all newly built harbour craft must be capable of running emissions-free by 2030 using electic propulsion, B100 biofuel or net-zero compatible fuels.
Also this month, Singapore has seen the launch of the first of three all-electric ferries for oil major Shell’s industrial park on the city-state’s island of Pulau Bukom.
Singapore’s first all-electric commuter ferry Penguin Refresh is the first of three 200-passenger, 21-knot ferries that will serve Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park on the island of Pulau Bukom.
Along with rapid shore charging infrastructure, the vessels are part of the so-called ’Electric Dream’ project, which brings together Shell and consortium partners Incat Crowther UK, Razor Blunt Labs, Danfoss and Gema Engineering with Singapore-based Penguin International.
The LoI for the vessels was arranged under the purview of the Singapore maritime consortium known as the Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA), which was founded by Kuok Maritime Group (Singapore). Kuok, in turn, is made up of PaxOcean Holdings, Pacific Carriers Limited and PACC Offshore Services Holdings.
The alliance is expected to invest more than S$20M (US$15M) over the next 10 years to build the next generation of Singapore’s maritime ecosystem and accelerate decarbonisation, electrification and energy-efficient logistics and engineering by 2030.
PaxOcean chief executive and chairperson of the CSA Council Tan Thai Yong announced in March 2022 that the alliance would design a series of fully electric PXO harbour vessels and floating platforms for wireless offshore charging.
PaxOcean and Ken Energy are both partners in the CSA, as is the Tecnology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore, which is collaborating on the project by building digital twins for the electric vessels to optimise the vessels’ operations.
During Singapore’s annual maritime week, the CSA added 11 new members including Ampotech, Columbia Ship Management Singapore, Green COP, Ken Energy, RMS Marine & Offshore Service, M1, MagicPort, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Sinwa Singapore, ST Engineering, and Swift Total Logistics. This brings the CSA to 18 members since its formation in March 2022.
“The contributions from the new members will accelerate CSA’s efforts to electrify, digitalise and decarbonise Singapore’s coastal vessels, strengthen marine supply chains and build Singapore’s next-generation maritime ecosystem,” the CSA said.
Ken Energy managing director Desmond Chong said, “In our focus of developing and implementing green energy solutions, we aim to advance the use of renewable energy and alternative fuels, as a means of reducing emissions and promoting a more sustainable and greener environment. As a start, we are looking into reducing our carbon footprint by exploring the use of PXO e-supply vessels to supply provisions and ship spares to our own fleet of bunker tankers. By adopting new technologies and ship designs, we anticipate a boost in optimisation for a more efficient marine supply chain.”
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Source: Riviera
