A new crop of 15 major maritime sector companies yesterday signalled their commitment to clean and green shipping practices under the Singapore Green Pledge initiative.
The newest signatories are mainly classification societies such as Germanischer Lloyd and American Bureau of Shipping; and shipping lines such as NYK Bulkship and ST Shipping & Transport.
They take the total number of Singapore Green Pledge signatories up to 27.
The new participants put pen to paper just before the Singapore Maritime Foundation’s New Year cocktail began.
The Green Pledge is a voluntary scheme started by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in April 2011 for offshore and marine companies to signal their commitment to the environment in their business operations.
Last year, 12 signatories signed up to the Green Pledge cause. They included port terminal operators, container ship and tanker operators, and oil and gas players. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said that getting 15 signatories this year was ‘highly encouraging’.
Also at yesterday’s signing ceremony, six Singapore-flagged ships received their Green Ship certification, which entitles their owners to financial goodies. These ships are owned by three companies: Monique Marine Pte Ltd, NYK Bulkship (Asia) Pte Ltd and APL Co Pte Ltd.
MPA started the Green Ship programme last July under the Singapore Green Initiative to recognise energy-efficient ship designs that reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
