A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), in a bid to collectively undertake technical cooperation activities to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce emissions from ships and in ports.

In a statement, the IMO, Norway and Singapore said they would work together to exchange experience, knowledge and best practice and undertake joint resource mobilization with a view to cooperating and collaborating on actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships and the activities of ships in ports, within the frameworks of the NextGEN Connect initiative and the GreenVoyage2050 Project.

The NextGEN Connect initiative was established between the IMO and the MPA in April 2022.

The initiative aims to bring industry, academia and global research centres together to offer inclusive solutions for maritime decarbonization for trials along shipping routes.

The statement noted that the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project was established in May 2019 by the IMO, with funding from the Government of Norway to support developing countries, including Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in their efforts to implement the Initial IMO Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships.

The MoU was signed on March 20 by Kitack Lim, secretary-general of the IMO, Sveinung Oftedal, chief negotiator for Green Shipping of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, and Teo Eng Dih, chief executive of the MPA, on the side-lines of the 14th Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 14), convened at the IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

"IMO is pleased to combine the capabilities of the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 project and the IMO-Singapore NextGEN Connect initiative to collectively implement green shipping activities, in particular those that can support the development of low and zero-carbon fuels and related bunkering infrastructure," said Kitack Lim.

For his part, Oftedal of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment said joining forces through this cooperation will strengthen the support for decarbonizing the maritime sector in developing countries.

"We very much look forward to working together with Singapore in these supportive actions, as well as widening the cooperation with the IMO in their leading role to assist decarbonization of the maritime sector in developing countries," Oftedal said.

Teo Eng Dih, chief executive of the MPA, said the MoU would accelerate decarbonisation efforts in the maritime industry.

"This MoU is an important partnership that brings together our projects with the mutual goal to test solutions along shipping routes. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping in an inclusive manner and, with the support of like-minded States, aggregate demand along the supply chain," he said.