Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and International Energy Agency Collaborate on Maritime Energy Transition
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Marine and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to strengthen their collaboration and hasten the decarbonisation and digitalization of the marine industry. In 2016, Singapore joined the IEA Association. The Memorandum of Understanding was launched during Singapore Maritime Week 2024 and signed by Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, and Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA.
The MPA and IEA will work together to advance the development and transition to zero and near-zero emission fuels, technologies that support maritime decarbonisation, and digital technologies that support sustainability solutions. These goals align with the objectives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and international energy and climate targets.
Through capacity-building training programs, the MoU will support the adoption and transition of zero and near-zero emission fuels by the maritime and energy industries, facilitate the sharing of best practices across these industries, and support pertinent fuel-related projects and initiatives like the IMO-Singapore NextGen and NextGen Connect Initiatives. In response, the IEA will encourage greater knowledge and experience sharing by facilitating workers on loan from the MPA to the IEA, benefiting from the MPA’s networks and expertise as input to its analysis on the global and regional growth of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives.4. More international collaboration in the maritime and energy industries is critical for international shipping to meet international decarbonisation goals,” stated Mr. Teo Eng. Dih, Chief Executive, MPA. With the IEA, MPA hopes to expedite the decarbonisation and digitalization of the maritime industry and assist the endeavors of the soon-to-be-established IEA Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore.
“Shipping is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise, and we need to spur development and deployment of new technologies to slow and then reverse the rise in its emissions,” stated Mr. Tim Gould, Chief Energy Economist at the IEA. Strong national and international cooperation will be needed for this. The recent announcement of our new IEA Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, the IEA’s first location outside of its headquarters in Paris, France, demonstrates our commitment to a close collaboration with Southeast Asia. We now fervently applaud this Memorandum of Understanding as a significant advancement in our collaboration with Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority, a pivotal actor in the region and globally, to enhance accessibility to low-emission fuels.”