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Mr Even Tronstad Sagebakken, Norwegian Deputy Minister, Ministry of Trade, Industry Fisheries, Norway,

Ambassadors and distinguished guests,  

1.     Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you here today for the Singapore-Norway Green Maritime Conference. 

2.     I am happy to be here in the beautiful city of Oslo. An EnterpriseSG colleague yesterday told us that the weather was fine because we brought it here. But I think it is because of the warmth and hospitality of the people that we have met here that makes us feel warm. I would like to thank the Norwegian embassy and Innovation Norway for putting together three different programmes for three different groups of people. 

3.     Based on a very reliable source, I understand there are about close to 40 Singaporeans working in Oslo, so this week we have doubled the population of Singaporeans working here in Oslo. 

4.     Singapore and Norway share a strong and longstanding partnership as maritime nations. Our collaboration reached new heights with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at Nor-Shipping here in Oslo last June, fostering close cooperation towards advancing an efficient, safe, and sustainable maritime industry. 

5.     Singapore is decarbonising our domestic maritime sector and is committed to supporting international shipping targets to reach net-zero emissions around 2050.  Like Norway, Singapore recognises that collaborating with like-minded partners is essential to achieving these targets. Allow me to share three areas in which we are working together to advance the green transition. That is in future marine fuels, vessel decarbonation and autonomous technology, and a future ready workforce. 

Future Marine Fuels

6.     The first is in the successful and safe use of future marine fuels such as methanol and ammonia. Last July, Singapore conducted the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation. 

7.     In April this year, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), together with DNV, also conducted the world’s first dual-fuelled ammonia fuel trial onboard Fortescue’s Singapore-flagged Green Pioneer. 

8.     To ensure safe bunkering operations during these trials and pilots, MPA has worked with international and domestic agencies on hazard identification and contingency planning, and ammonia and methanol plume modelling. The lessons learned from these trials will contribute to the development of common standards, safety procedures and training.

9.     Yesterday, we had a fruitful visit to Yara’s Porsgrunn  Green Ammonia Plant. I look forward to more collaborations like Yara Clean Ammonia’s work with Singapore companies,  and MPA on the development of the green ammonia supply chain. 

Vessel Decarbonisation and Autonomous Technologies

10.    The second area of collaboration is in the advancement and adoption of autonomous technology, in particular for vessels that run on cleaner fuels.  

11.    I am happy to share that Singaporean and Norwegian companies are collaborating to incorporate autonomous functions into fully electric vessels for testing in the port of Singapore. Yinson has partnered with Zeabuz to integrate and test autonomous functions onboard the Hydromover, an electric vessel developed by the Goal Zero Consortium led by SeaTech Solution and Yinson. 

12.    Yinson has also led the development of another electric vessel featuring hydrofoil technology from the Norwegian company Lift Ocean and autonomous technology from Zeabuz. 

13.    I look forward to more fruitful partnerships such as those between Yinson, Lift Ocean, and Zeabuz in time to come, as we grow and deepen the partnership between Singapore and Norway in advancing the maritime technology.

Future-Ready Workforce

14.    Third, we are working together to equip the maritime workforce for the future.

15.    Initiatives such as the Global Internship Awards Programme and the Maritime Trainee Programme exemplify our joint commitment to nurturing talent and fostering skills development in alignment with industry needs. We are grateful for the active participation by Norwegian companies including G2 Ocean Singapore and OSM Thome in these programmes.

16.    The Singapore-Norway partnership is instrumental in training a maritime workforce that is globally-oriented and adaptable to industry trends, and we look forward to the continued support and strong partnership from our Norwegian partners. 

Conclusion

17.    The partnership between Singapore and Norway stands as a beacon of collaboration and progress in the maritime industry. We look forward to more upcoming collaborations, such as the “International Maritime and Port Technology and Development Conference”, and the “International Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships” in Trondheim this October.

18.    These conferences are co-organised by MPA, the Research Council of Norway, SINTEF and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. 

19.    I am confident that the conversations we will have and the collaborations forged during this conference and future ones will lead to tangible outcomes that will transform the global maritime industry. With this, I wish everyone a successful networking session and conference. Thank you.