Green technology solutions provider Yinson GreenTech (YGT) and maritime services provider Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) have signed an agreement to build a charging infrastructure for Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel, Hydromover.
As disclosed, the charging infrastructure for the 18.5-meter vessel equipped with swappable batteries and the capacity to transport up to 25 tonnes of cargo will be established at WSS’ Pandan Loop facility.
Building the charging infrastructure is seen as a “significant step” in ongoing efforts to develop electrification solutions for harbor craft, aligning with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) initiatives.
To note, MPA is mandating all harbor craft to become fully electric, be capable of using B100 biofuels, or be compatible with net zero fuels such as hydrogen by 2030.
The latest agreement builds on a previous collaboration between Yinson and WSS in which WSS became the first company to have its cargo moved by Hydromover during the ship’s commercial trials.
This electric cargo transfer was facilitated by OPL Services, the first harbor craft operator to trial Hydromover, and included moving the cargo from the Wilhelmsen Ships Service jetty at Pandan Loop to the receiving vessel M/V Wadi Almalekat at the Eastern Anchorage AEBB area.
YGT’s marine electrification business marinEV announced the start of commercial trials for Hydromover on September 6, 2024, saying it will allow harbor craft operators to trial a fully electric lighter craft as part of their existing fleet and experience the operational benefits of the innovative technology first-hand.