With the support of C40 Cities, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Port of Long Beach (POLB) and Port of Los Angeles (POLA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a green and digital shipping corridor between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex to support the decarbonisation of the maritime industry and improve efficiencies through digitalisation.
C40 serves as the facilitator of the green and digital shipping corridor, assisting cities, ports, and their corridor partners by coordinating, convening, facilitating, and providing communications provisions in support of the corridor’s goals.
Teo Eng Dih, the Chief Executive of MPA, said that the signing of this MoU shows that they will combine their resources, technical knowledge, and industry and research networks to create scalable green corridor solutions and digital corridor solutions that will help the maritime industry meet the International Maritime Organisation’s emission reduction goals for 2050 and help green growth opportunities develop.
On the other hand, Gene Seroka, the Executive Director of POLA, stressed that no single port or organisation can solve the problem of reducing carbon emissions in the supply chain on its own, no matter how creative their technology or strong their efforts are. Hence, building the green shipping corridor between the San Pedro Bay Port Complex and Singapore will be a live example of how powerful it can be for people all over the world to work together.
Singapore, Los Angeles, and Long Beach are important nodes on the trans-Pacific shipping route and key players in the green transition of the maritime industry. Before the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) updates its Initial Strategy for the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships in July 2023, the three ports will work with C40 and other stakeholders in the maritime and energy value chains to speed up the decarbonisation of the maritime industry in line with IMO’s goals and Singapore’s and the US’s respective Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The MoU also builds on the ports’ long-term cooperation through platforms like the Port Authorities’ Roundtable (PAR) and chainPORT. It also supports bilateral projects between Singapore and the US, like the US-Singapore Climate Partnership and the US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation.
The green and digital shipping route wants ships that stop at Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex to help with the switch to low-emission and no-emission fuels. The parties will work together to make it easier to get these fuels and use them. They will also examine what facilities and rules are needed for bunkering.
Further, Mario Cordero, the Executive Director of POLB, stressed that reducing greenhouse gases from foreign shipping is a must if nations want to stop global warming. Creating this green corridor with their partner ports and C40 Cities is part of their plan to bring all their efforts together to help them reach their goals of cleaner fuels for ocean-going ships, better ways to move things around the world, and a carbon-free future.
Mark Watts, the Executive Director of C40 Cities, said that it is important to take fast, real, and science-based action on shipping emissions to make sure that the decarbonisation of the shipping sector is in line with the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5°C.
C40 is proud to back this first-mover effort, which aims to speed up the switch to fuels with low or no carbon emissions and other technologies that reduce carbon emissions.
Aside from identifying and collaborating on pilot and demonstration projects, the MoU aims to identify digital shipping solutions and develop standards and best practices for green ports and alternative marine fuel bunkering, including sharing experiences at international platforms such as the IMO.
