More Companies Pledge Commitment to Clean and Green Shipping in Singapore

The Maritime Singapore Green Pledge continues to receive positive response from the maritime industry as 15 organisations came together to sign the Green Pledge during the second Green Pledge signing ceremony. This follows the inaugural Green Pledge signing ceremony which took place in April last year. A total of 27 organisations have signed the Green Pledge.

The 15 new signatories of the Green Pledge include classification societies and shipping lines, and they pledged to be responsible members of the international maritime community by supporting and promoting clean and green shipping in Singapore. They also called upon the maritime community to join them in protecting and safeguarding the environment.

The organisations are:

The signing of the Green Pledge, facilitated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), was witnessed by Mr Choi Shing Kwok, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Mr Lucien Wong, Chairman of MPA and Mr Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive of MPA. The signing took place at the Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Cocktail Reception on 12 January at the Sheraton Towers.

Also at the ceremony, six Singapore-registered ships which have met the conditions of MPA's Green Ship Programme were presented with their Green Ship certificates. These six ships are owned by three companies, namely Monique Marine Pte Ltd, NYK Bulkship (Asia) Pte Ltd and APL Co. Pte Ltd.

The ships that qualified for the Green Ship Programme are "Alpine Monique", "Challenge Premier", "Challenge Paragon", "Challenge Polaris", "APL Chongqing" and "APL Gwangyang". "Alpine Monique" is a petroleum/chemical tanker owned by Monique Maritime Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Glencore International AG headquartered in Switzerland. "Challenge Premier", "Challenge Paragon" and "Challenge Polaris" are petroleum product tankers owned by NYK Bulkship (Asia) Pte Ltd. "APL Chongqing" and "APL Gwangyang" are container ships owned by APL Co. Pte Ltd. Representatives of the three shipping companies received the Green Ship certificates from Mr Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive of MPA.

Started in July 2011 as part of the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative, the Green Ship Programme is targeted at Singapore-flagged ships that adopt energy efficient ship designs that reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Singapore-flagged ships which go beyond the requirements of IMO's Energy Efficiency Design Index will enjoy a 50% reduction of Initial Registration Fees (IRF) and a 20% rebate on Annual Tonnage Tax (ATT) payable.

MPA is pleased to see good response from the industry since the introduction of the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative in July 2011.

"We are heartened to see the encouraging response from maritime companies to the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative and are pleased to see more maritime companies coming forward to sign the Maritime Singapore Green Pledge," said Mr Lam Yi Young.

End of Release.

Above: Signatories for the Maritime Singapore Green Pledge as a show of commitment to clean and green shipping.

About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996, with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre (IMC), and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore's port and maritime development, taking on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative. MPA partners the industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, grow the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.