Greening the Blue

Singapore’s Port Making Waves with Green Technologies Executive Group

By Tim Foote, Transportation and Network Director APAC at Asendia

Earlier this year I took the opportunity during Singapore’s Maritime Week to see for myself the green future of port management and design. The Maritime industry has historically been an area where big money is spent to advance innovation. Great powers have always seen that efficient command of the waves leads to enrichment through trade and its commerce.

Today it is no different. Asia is home to the largest ports in the world. Singapore as one of them, at any given time hosts 1,000 ships in it waters. It is the top refueling station in the world. This leadership position though requires sustainable technology to keep it at the top spot.

Efficiency Means Green

Transport and energy systems worldwide are transitioning to green technologies because they are the most cost effective as well as better for the environment. This transition is happening in many areas of the industry, but just focusing in on port management itself I wanted to highlight three technologies I’ve seen in action.

First, there are drones now being used to improve and save emissions for security and delivery work. The MPA first started a drone program around the time of the COVID pandemic. Using drones kept human contact to a minimum but also it saved costs for delivery and security. The first drones called “F-drones” could delivery up to 5Kgs to ships autonomously. They could go continuously for 50 kilometers using their electric motors. It even showed it could work in rough weather – a big advantage when dealing with the ocean. When winds are high, the sea gets rough and dangerous for mariners. Keeping to the sky avoids these water surface dangers.

Second, vessels operating around the port are getting electrified! For chandelling services, ships at Singapore’s port should increasingly expect an EV vessel like the Hydromover to bring supplies. I met the Operator of the Hydromover to learn more. He shared with me that in Singapore his vessel was one of about 6 different EV powered models currently working for different service niches around the Singapore port. (Please scan the QR code below for more info)

For the Hydromover specifically, the current pricing for customers was slightly above the market rate, but this is moving increasingly to the advantage of the EV vessels as the battery power increases and costs decrease. When I asked how long the total operating costs would likely start showing the advantage of the Hydromover over the fossil fuel competitors, the representative mentioned it would likely be after 7 years using current figures. When one considers the long life of these vessels, it stands to reason that the transition to EVs should be in full swing.

Third, is the entry of EV ferries. If one can move supplies, you can move people. Increasingly ports are seeing the use of EV ferries.

The Electric Dream Ferry

started operation in Singapore waters as early as 2023. This model of ferry was invented by a Singapore company called Penguin. The ferries are designed for carrying up to 200 people. In March 2025, WaterB introduced the Pyxis R ferry on the Singapore River, integrating cutting-edge technology, including Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities, which allow surplus solar energy to be fed back into the grid. Powered by an intelligent platform Electra, the vessel employs smart charging, predictive maintenance, and real-time operational tracking. These technological advancements not only enhance efficiency but also extend the lifespan of vessels while ensuring compliance with emission standards.

All of this activity to move to “emissions free” on and over the water is inspiring. In this article I chose only to highlight the electric vehicle development. There is lots of work also being done in Singapore for methanol and ammonia fuels services. Please continue to read the Green Corridor for updates on that in coming months, until then – let’s green
the blue!

Bear in mind please, that a road map is only a vision of what could be the impacts of your initiatives. No one really has a crystal ball to see the future with. We can only make a reasoned guess. For instance in the above roadmap it is planned that only 5% of the transition to EVs will be done by 2030. This could be much higher if the price of EVs continue to drop.

When working on roadmaps in the past, I have noticed some people are really uncomfortable with trying to put in targets for such a distant future as 2050. Most sustainability roadmaps are stretched out to 2050 because the Paris Climate Accords (UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015) marked that year as being significant. Of course you can shorten the timeline as you wish, but by stretching the timeline out, you can bring in the impacts of future technological changes – and for logistics companies new green technology is tremendously important.

There are many other ways to express a roadmap towards an emissions-free future. So please to look at other examples that are circulating in the industry.  Roadmaps can be a great way to engage others in your organisation with a positive vision of change. Do try to make one when you feel it helps.