Singapore pushes for global maritime transition with MPA, UNCTAD tie-up

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority signed an agreement with the UN Conference on Trade and Development to support global maritime decarbonization and digitalization, both agencies announced April 22 during the Singapore Maritime Week 2026.

The memorandum of understanding will combine UNCTAD's trade development mandate with Singapore's experience as a global hub port to advance the adoption of alternative fuels and digital products for ports and for countries at different stages of readiness, said the MPA and UNCTAD.

Pedro Manuel Moreno, acting secretary-general of UNCTAD, highlighted Singapore's leading position as a container port, connecting over 600 ports across 123 countries and handling nearly 45 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2025.

He stated the city-state's long-term vision as a megaport to serve the maritime future for the next 100 years. "That is the strategic thinking we at UN trade and development want to help our 195 member states learn from."

Under the partnership, the MPA and UNCTAD will share knowledge and best practices in areas such as maritime decarbonization, supply chain resilience, as well as capacity-building for developing countries to strengthen maritime capabilities and port resilience, based on their joint announcement.

Singapore presses on decarbonization

Speaking at the SMW on the same day, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Transport and Law Murali Pillai said geopolitical instability should not distract the industry from longer-term structural shifts, highlighting that decarbonization, digitalization and workforce transformation would define the maritime future.

"Climate change may have taken a back seat to political geopolitical contests but today, with the increasing volatility of energy markets, there is greater impetus and urgency for decarbonization," said Pillai.

Singapore had been preparing its port for a multifuel future by developing operational standards to support the safe deployment of alternative marine fuels. The MPA had conducted extensive safety studies and fuel trials over the past three years, including two for ammonia and four for methanol, he said.

Singapore published its technical reference for methanol bunkering in 2025 and is developing its first technical reference for ammonia bunkering, with details to be shared subsequently, said Pillai.

Singapore is also studying the use of remote operations for LNG bunkering, Pillai shared. The MPA is supporting a Joint Industry Project between DNV, Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services, and Singapore Institute of Technology, he said.

On April 22, global classification society DNV said that it signed a new Research Collaboration Agreement with SIT to jointly support the development of remote and autonomous maritime capabilities in Singapore.

"This RCA will also enable both organizations to jointly explore curriculum development, simulation methodologies, and applied R&D activities that support the wider maritime community," DNV said.

Pillai highlighted Singapore's role in building international coalitions around maritime transition, noting the city-state's renewed Green and Digital Shipping Corridor partnership with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

While the partnerships play a critical role in spreading standards and operational know-how beyond Singapore's own port, Pillai said the domestic harbor craft sector remained a near-term focus for decarbonization. The port has about 1,600 harbor craft providing marine services, including bunkering, towage, ship supplies, and crew transfers.

He added that since 2023, Singapore has required all new harbor craft operating in its port waters to be fully electric, capable of using B100 biofuel, or compatible with net-zero fuels.

"Biofuel is largely mature as a near-term decarbonization pathway and already commercially available," said Pillai, noting that electrification is also showing strong potential, especially for passenger and ship supply services.

He added that the government is partnering with local Institutes of Higher Learning to study the use of B100 marine biofuel on larger harbor craft with higher power or longer-range requirements, like tankers and tugboats. The findings will be released following ongoing trials.

"We should remain anchored on our longer-term priorities even in the face of emerging challenges — to press ahead with decarbonization ... continue to keep our eyes on the far horizon, to work on long-term issues that affect the planet and our people, even as we deal with choppy seas, day to day," said Pillai.