The ports of Singapore and Rotterdam (PoR) are looking into deepening their collaboration through a series of projects on port solutions and transition towards a sustainable and bio-based economy.
To this end, a lecture on port sustainability, The Port and City of Rotterdam – ‘Era of Transition ‘ was organized in Singapore. The co-organizers of the lecture were the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLS), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Academy (MPAA).
The lecture will be followed by an interactive roundtable discussion on Wednesday with the Port of Rotterdam (PoR) including topics like development of Singapore’s Tuas port, the ground-breaking operation and development of Rotterdam’s new port Maasvakte 2, current and major issues related to LNG bunkering and innovation of ports in relation to a culture of green practices.
“The dynamic and complex challenges facing the shipping industry brought about by strong economic headwinds, stricter regulations, ever growing vessels and new technologies require port authorities to work more closely with each other and with industry partners to develop innovative solutions to tackle the challenges,” said Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
“MPA and PoR share the same ambition to deliver an efficient, smart, safe and secure and a green and community-oriented port. Through the sharing of collaborative experiences via interactive platforms such as the lecture and roundtable discussion, we can expand on solutions for the development of our ports,” said Allard Castelein, President of the PoR .
Both the lecture and the roundtable follow a series of meetings and discussions on joint initiatives and potential projects between MPA and the PoR since they signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2015. Since then, the two organizations have strengtened their partnership in joint projects such as the harmonisation of LNG bunkering standards and procedures between Singapore and Rotterdam, and MPA’s participation in the Port Call Optimisation Taskforce initiated by the Port of Rotterdam to standardise and exchange nautical and port information to raise efficiency.