Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam (PoR) are strengthening their partnership through a series of collaborative projects on port solutions, an initiative on which the port industry can transit towards a more sustainable and bio-based economy.
A lecture was held in Singapore on Tuesday on ‘The Port and City of Rotterdam – Era of Transition’, co-organised by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Academy (MPAA), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and The Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC).
Andrew Tan, chief Executive of MPA, said: “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.
“The lecture today and the subsequent roundtable discussions involving key industry players will provide more opportunities for exchange of best practices and collaborations to improve efficiency, sustainability, safety and security, as well as the adoption of future-ready technology and infrastructure in ports.”
Following up with the lecture on 2 March, the MPAA will host an interactive roundtable discussion with PoR to further the years of partnership.
The roundtable discussion will include topics like the development of Singapore’s Tuas port, the ground-breaking operation and development of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2, current and major issues relating to LNG bunkering and innovation of ports in relation to a culture of green practices.
Allard Castelein, president of the PoR, said: “Throughout our long-standing partnership with MPA, we’ve shared a goal of leveraging technologies and the exchange of new ideas to develop cutting-edge solutions for the port industry.”
Back in April 2015, MPA and PoR signed a memorandum of understanding to promote cooperation and exchange of information, as well as on R&D.
Since then, MPA and PoR have deepened their partnership in various 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 PoR to standardise and exchange nautical and port information to raise port efficiency.
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