Singapore and Norway invite proposals for alternative fuel bunkering research
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Singapore Maritime Institute and the Research Council of Norway want researchers to make alternative marine fuels safer to handle and to develop bunkering and fuel storage technology.
IMAGE: Container cargo freight ship with working crane bridge in shipyard in Singapore. Getty Images
The Singapore Maritime Institute will provide up to Singapore Dollar 2.7 million (around $2 million) for Singapore partners, while the Research Council of Norway will make up to Norwegian Krone 20 million (approximately $2 million) available to Norwegian partners. Each proposal must include research institutions and companies from both countries. Funding for selected projects can run for up to four years. Applications open on 2 December and close on 20 January 2027.
Work on charging infrastructure for electric vessels falls under the same focus area as fuel handling, bunkering and storage. The release does not say which fuels projects must cover. The call also seeks technologies that cut vessels’ fuel use and onboard energy consumption, and digital tools such as voyage optimisation and ship-port data exchange.
It is the third joint call between the two countries, after calls in 2015 and 2018 that backed four projects on energy efficiency, emissions and new technologies in shipping. It builds on a memorandum of understanding that the MPA and the council signed in April 2024.
The MPA issued technical guidelines for ammonia bunkering last month, covering safety measures and crew training. Norway’s ministry of climate and environment and the MPA also partnered with the IMO in March 2023 on a project to help developing countries cut shipping and port emissions.
By Tuhin Roy
Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online
