Singapore and Tianjin to establish green and digital shipping corridor

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the People’s Republic of China’s Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.

Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive, MPA, and Wang Zhinan, Director General, Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, signed this MOU on December 6.

This MoU marks the first Green and Digital Shipping Corridor established between Singapore and China to support the decarbonization, digitalization and growth of the maritime industry between Singapore and the Bohai Region.

According to the partners, the corridor will serve as a valuable testbed for both countries to pilot and trial digital solutions, alternative fuels and technologies, and facilitate talent development to support the decarbonization and digitalization of shipping. 

Singapore and Tianjin will work with the research community, the institutes of higher learning, and industry stakeholders such as shipping lines, port operators, shipbuilders, classification societies, and bunker suppliers to enable more efficient port clearance. This will be achieved through digital exchanges.

Furthermore, they will encourage the offtake of zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels and the adoption of new fuel technologies.

Under the MoU, the signatories will also spur innovation and support the growth of the maritime startups community, and facilitate manpower training and professional development.

“The establishment of the Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor reaffirms the strong commitment by Singapore and Tianjin to accelerate maritime decarbonisation and digitalisation. Singapore will also be exploring the establishment of similar collaboration with other maritime and port ecosystems within China,” according to MPA.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, MPA unveiled a partnership strategy for a green and digital shipping corridor to be established with Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Port of Long Beach (POLB). The scope of cooperation through the partnership strategy and success indicators specified within build upon the MoU signed in April 2023 and reaffirm the corridor partners’ commitment to driving global action to digitalize and decarbonize the shipping industry and improve efficiencies.