20 firms sign Maritime Green Pledge

SINGAPORE - Twenty maritime companies have signed the Maritime Singapore Green Pledge to signify their commitment towards promoting clean and green shipping in Singapore. In total, 60 companies have signed the Green Pledge.

The signing took place during the Singapore Registry of Ships Forum on "Responsible Shipping" and was witnessed by Mr Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The 20 new signatories include shipping lines, salvage companies and offshore service providers.

The Maritime Singapore Green Pledge was launched in 2011 as part of the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative. The initiative comprises three programmes - Green Ship Programme, Green Port Programme and Green Technology Programme.

As of end-November, 96 Singapore-flagged ships have been recognised as Green Ships under the Green Ship Programme, more than 1,900 vessel calls have enjoyed port dues concessions under the Green Port Programme and $12 million of co-funding has been approved under the Green Technology Programme.

From Jan 1 next year, the Singapore Registry of Ships will introduce a new Annual Administrative Fee scheme to provide greater administrative convenience and lower transaction costs for owners of Singapore-flagged ships. Under this scheme, ship owners will have the option of paying an annual fee of $600 per ship instead of making payments on a per transaction basis.