Foundation Det Norske Veritas – which owns DNV Group – has teamed up with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and five other industry leaders to establish a maritime decarbonisation centre in Singapore.
The centre’s stated mission is to catalyse and facilitate decarbonisation in the maritime sector and will be supported by contributions from the founding members totalling S$120 million. Its creation follows the release of a recommendation by the International Advisory Panel (IAP) – a Singapore Maritime Foundation initiative – on maritime decarbonisation to set up a decarbonisation centre in Singapore.
Industry-wide collaboration
The Foundation Det Norske Veritas is driven by a desire to help society tackle major global transformations"
The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed on 21 April in the presence of Mr Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs. Foundation Det Norske Veritas has committed S$10 million – a figure matched by partners BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Ocean Network Express, Sembcorp Marine Ltd, and BHP with the MPA adding S$60 million to the contributions.
“The Foundation Det Norske Veritas is driven by a desire to help society tackle major global transformations,” said Remi Eriksen, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation Det Norske Veritas and DNV.
Remi Eriksen adds, “Transforming the world energy system is one of the biggest challenges currently confronting society, and shipping must play its part. But doing this cannot be achieved without industry wide collaboration. That is why we have taken the decision to become a founding member of the Singapore decarbonisation centre.”
Public-private sector partnerships
Remi Eriksen continues: “We believe the deep expertise behind the Foundation complements Singapore’s status as a world-leading maritime ecosystem for sustainable energy and climate change. Working together, I am confident the Centre will deliver a global impact on decarbonisation while further bolstering the Foundation’s purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment.”
Ms. Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “Maritime decarbonisation is a global challenge requiring a collective responsibility from all stakeholders involved. It is crucial to have strong public-private sector partnerships. We thank like-minded partners like the Foundation Det Norske Veritas that have responded strongly to our call for collaboration. The agreement signed today is a first step, which we hope will catalyse a larger, much needed momentum to make international shipping more sustainable.”
Higher education institutes
We are pleased to widen the scope of our longstanding cooperation with MPA"
“Collaboration is key to progress on the decarbonisation pathway. At DNV, we are pleased to widen the scope of our longstanding cooperation with MPA by sharing our technical competence and industry knowledge in this maritime decarbonisation centre."
"Together with leading shipping firms in the region, we look forward to support the adoption of new low- and zero-carbon solutions which will help to reach the IMO greenhouse gas reduction targets,” said Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV, who signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on behalf of the Foundation Det Norske Veritas.
Spanning a five-year period, Foundation Det Norske Veritas’s contribution will support research and technology development projects in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and collaborations with higher education institutes and research bodies.
