Author: SEA FORREST

Cyan Renewables today, together with its consortium of six other partners, announced the launch of a green energy consortium to jointly design and develop electric harbour craft operations in Singapore.

Led by Cyan Renewables, the consortium comprises Bureau Veritas Marine, PSA Marine,  Strategic Marine and technology providers SeaCabbie, Sea Forrest and Victory. The consortium, formed to participate in the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (“MPA”)’s call for proposal to develop electric harbour craft operations, is supported by one of Asia’s largest liner shipping companies, Pacific International Lines (“PIL”).

Where green meets blue: Easing the green energy transition for maritime players in Singapore

While Singapore targets for new harbour crafts to be fully decarbonised from 2030, the country currently lacks commercially viable solutions to enable such a transition.

The consortium seeks to ease the energy transition for Singapore’s maritime operators with a focus on quality shipbuilding, flexible financing and customer access. With members across the entire renewable energy value chain, the consortium is the first in Singapore to:

• Enable the leasing of renewable vessels (via Cyan Renewables), thus reducing capital outlay for operators; and
• Offer an innovative ride-hailing application for the ordering of launch boats (via SeaCabbie).

Together with decades of experience in ship building, classification, and offshore energy management, the consortium’s solution is expected to significantly lower commercial barriers and reduce carbon emissions for electric harbour craft operations.

Lee Keng Lin, Founding CEO, Cyan Renewables said, “As Asia’s first pure play renewable vessel owner, Cyan Renewables enables operators to access green maritime solutions with minimal capital outlay, significantly reducing barriers against innovation. We are confident in the consortium’s ability to ease the green energy transition for Singapore’s maritime sector and are proud to be leading this effort.”

Goh Chung Hun, Head, Fleet Division, Pacific International Lines said, “PIL is committed to support this initiative on the commercialisation of electric harbour crafts. As a Singapore home-grown shipping line and with our focus on sustainability, we look forward to engaging the consortium and contributing towards Singapore’s national climate target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”

Francis Tang, Commercial Director, Bureau Veritas Marine said, “BV Marine (Singapore) is absolutely honoured to join this consortium with a clear mission to develop sustainable, ecological and economically feasible solutions for Singapore’s harbour craft community. BV has been actively supporting the Singapore maritime ecosystem for many years now, and we will continue to bring along our best practices, experience and technical expertise to this excellent consortium.”

Peter Chew, CEO, PSA Marine said, “PSA Marine is keen to support the consortium’s efforts to participate in the MPA Expression of Interest to design and develop electric harbour craft in Singapore. We look forward to contributing ideas and experiences, including collaborating with like-minded partners, to reduce carbon emissions for the Singapore harbour craft industry.”

Chan Eng Yew, CEO, Strategic Marine said, “Strategic Marine through this collaboration continues to affirm our commitment and contribution as a shipbuilder towards the IMO GHG 2050 goal and Singapore’s Net Zero 2050 goals.”

Abhinav Sahai, Founder, SeaCabbie said, “SeaCabbie is excited and honoured to be a part of this consortium dedicated to revolutionizing harbour crafts both locally and globally. As the first mover in Singapore to introduce a digital booking platform for harbour crafts, we bring the right expertise to ensure a successful implementation of electric harbour craft operations.”

George Lee, CEO, Sea Forrest said, “Sea Forrest’s years of expertise in marine electric propulsion, energy storage, energy management, and charging solutions are directly relevant for the operations of electric harbour crafts in Singapore. We look forward to this collective journey to transform one of the world’s busiest port, offering cost-effective, innovative, and eco-friendly solutions.”

Maureen Chan, Director, Victory said, “We are working towards operating floating chargers to complement onshore charging. By providing electron pitstops on operational routes, we hope to extend the range for electric vessels to provide operational flexibility and route optimisation.”

Profile of consortium companies

Cyan Renewables

Headquartered in Singapore, Cyan Renewables is Asia’s first pure-play offshore wind vessel owner in the fast-growing offshore wind farm industry, aimed at creating sustainable long-term value for our stakeholders. Built on a strong foundation of highly experienced team, we aspire to accelerate the growth of the offshore wind sector by investing in a dedicated fleet of wind farm support vessels that includes Cable-Lay Vessels (CLV), Service Operation Vessels (SOV) as well as Wind Turbine Installation Vessels (WTIV).

Cyan’s mission is to facilitate the world’s transition towards a greener future by being the partner of choice to both wind farm developers and vessel operators. We focus on integrating innovative solutions with both safety (people and environment) and customers’ needs in mind, thereby providing our client with best-in-class services.

Bureau Veritas Marine (Singapore)

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has 75,000 employees located in more than 1,600 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions, in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index.

PSA Marine

PSA Marine has been a leader in the maritime sector since 1964. As part of the global supply chain, we have a presence in more than 10 countries across Asia, Middle East, Europe and Latin America today.

Headquartered in Singapore, we provide integrated marine services – pilotage, towage, and offshore windfarm crew transfer to the ports and terminals, oil and gas, shipping and renewable energy sectors. With 1,800 passionate and dedicated employees and more than 70 tugs worldwide, we share a common belief in delivering only the best. Our commitment to excellence fuels our zeal to innovate and define the future of maritime for the generations ahead. PSA Marine is a wholly owned subsidiary of PSA International, a leading global port group and a trusted partner to cargo stakeholders around the world.

Strategic Marine

Headquartered in Singapore, Strategic Marine is a dynamic shipbuilding company with an international book of business and is renowned for producing quality, high performance commercial and defence & security vessels for markets across the globe.

Over the years, Strategic Marine has successfully built and delivered over 600 high-quality vessels to satisfied clients all over the world. These vessel types range from Oil & Gas Vessels, Offshore Wind Service Vessels, Maritime Security Vessels, Passenger & Tourism Vessels as well as several types of Workboats. Beyond shipbuilding, the company offers Service and Maintenance, Fabrication and Engineering, Marine Logistics services and Financial Services and Solutions for its products – providing a turnkey, hassle-free, end-to-end solutions to clients.

SeaCabbie

SeaCabbie is the first and only ride hailing application for launch or tender boats in ports around the world. SeaCabbie’s aim is to simplify and streamline the process of ordering launch boats which to today tends to be a very tedious and time-consuming job.

Sea Forrest Technologies

Incorporated in 2011 as a marine and offshore project management company, Sea Forrest has evolved to delivering sustainable and decarbonization solutions leveraging on in-house talents and experiences in mechatronics, automation software and controls, marine engineering and maritime operations. Today, Sea Forrest specializes in delivering energy management solutions through marine electric and hybrid propulsion, marine charging, and marine energy storage systems.

Victory

Since incorporation in 1986, Victory has been operating a fleet of floating kiosks, dedicated to serving the local harbour craft community. Starting with one small wooden tanker, the company owns 6 steel vessels today, and expanded to serving the full range of commercial vessels.

Victory is a fully accredited bunker supplier under Maritime Port of Singapore, and adheres to the requirements of the Singapore Standard SS648:2019 – Code of Practice for Bunker Mass Metering.

Read the article on Strategic Marine.

George Lee, Founder and CEO of Sea Forrest, was invited to be a speaker at the UOB Sustainability Compass Forum on the 18th August 2023. Moderated by Mr Don Wee, Corporate Sustainability office, UOB, the sharing revolved around “Going Sustainable as an SME”.

George shared on how Sea Forrest works with like-minded partners- ship yards and boat operators in the Marine Industry to encourage and push the adoption of Sustainability projects.

He also encourages players in the Marine market to take small steps towards Sustainability for a start. It was also mentioned that having a well-rounded and professional Board of Directors is key to the Governance of the company in guiding their future Initiatives.

Sea Forrest would like to thank UOB for the opportunity and invitation to partake in their Sustainability journey in assisting SMEs.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to go green can refer to a new step-by-step guide to training programmes and grants launched on Friday.

The free e-book, developed by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), the Singapore Business Federation and SkillsFuture Singapore, is available on the EnterpriseSG website.

It defines three stages of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey to help SMEs assess where they are and what more they need to do. The three stages are building awareness in sustainability, identifying the areas of ESG most relevant to one’s business, and determining concrete steps and projects to cover the identified areas of concern.

Self-help ESG guides and training programmes for companies are detailed in the book, including the SME Kickstarter Decarbonisation Programme under Schneider Electric.

Grants available for companies going green are also listed in the book. They include the Energy Efficiency Fund from the National Environment Agency and the Water Efficiency Fund under national water agency PUB.

Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong announced the launch of the book, titled Sustainability Playbook For Enterprises: Embarking On Your Environmental, Social And Governance (ESG) Journey, during a visit to marine and offshore company Sea Forrest on Friday.

Sea Forrest is a marine and offshore solutions provider specialising in energy management innovations, including marine electric and hybrid propulsion, marine charging and marine energy storage systems. These help companies to decarbonise their operations.

The company’s electric propulsion system, for example, uses electrical power to drive propeller blades for propulsion, receiving power from an on-board lithium-battery, and plug-in charging from shore when a vessel is docked.

Sea Forrest started going green in 2019, switching from doing project management in the oil and gas industry to developing green solutions for the maritime industry.

It received a six-figure grant from EnterpriseSG in 2022 to develop its fast-charging station, which allows electric vessels to be charged while they are docked.

Many SMEs that Sea Forrest works with are looking to move forward in their sustainability journey, said the company’s chief executive officer George Lee.

“The problem that they face now is whether the decision they make today is suitable for tomorrow, because a lot of green technology, like alternative fuel, is still in the development stage,” he said.

Mr Gan said during the event: “Climate change is an existential challenge for the world. Following rising expectations of consumers and investors for businesses that are sustainable, I think businesses will have to think very seriously about their business model and how they can incorporate sustainability as part of their core strategy.

“We hope to be able to help companies, particularly those less familiar with sustainability issues, to embark on this journey of transformation with this guidebook. This way, we can all move towards a more sustainable future.”

Read the full article on the Straits Times.

Singapore shipbuilder Strategic Marine remains on track to list on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 2024 despite global economic headwinds.

Mr Chan Eng Yew, the firm’s chief executive, spoke to The Straits Times following the opening of Strategic Marine’s new shipyard in Benoi Road last week. He said demand for vessels made of aluminium and steel remains healthy, auguring well for the firm’s business outlook. “The demand for crew transfer vessels (CTVs) is growing, especially with demand for more renewable sources of energy growing rapidly. This is something we do not see slowing down any time soon,” he said.

Mr Chan said renewables would be one of the key growth areas for the firm over the next 12 months. At the opening ceremony, the shipbuilder delivered two CTVs to UK-based firm HST Marine. Both vessels are designed for offshore wind farm operations and feature hybrid technology.

Sea Forrest Power Solutions, a marine project management firm, and Strategic Marine collaborated on the development of the parallel hybrid system on both vessels, which will reduce main engine hours and maintenance. There will also be a significant reduction in operational carbon emissions.

CTVs, which transfer technicians and engineering staff to offshore wind facilities, now account for about half of the company’s revenues. The firm sees opportunities in the Taiwanese and Japanese offshore wind markets in 2024, and it is also eyeing expansion in continental Europe and Britain. It delivered five CTVs, each worth around $5 million to $6 million, in the most recent financial year.

“Strategic Marine will continue to innovate and strive to set new standards in the industry. We look forward to proudly presenting a Singapore-made product to the global maritime market following the launch of our hybrid vessels witnessed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry,” said Mr Chan.

“The event was not only to celebrate the opening of our new shipyard, but also to highlight the effort and contributions of Singaporean SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in building South-east Asia’s first hybrid CTV.”

The new shipyard facility will allow Strategic Marine to expand its shipbuilding capacity and boost its maintenance and repair capabilities. The yard features a 5,000-DWT (deadweight tonne) dry dock measuring 105m in length, 18.5m in width and 8m in depth, as well as a 6,000 DWT slipway.

Read the full article on the Straits Times.

While cost is an oft-cited barrier for firms looking to adopt greener solutions, industry watchers and officials say the pursuit of sustainability can bring companies new opportunities and ultimately, more business.

For marine project management firm Sea Forrest, which developed the first hybrid sea vessel in Singapore, one way to work around the higher price tag of green solutions is to source for its own parts to develop its own equipment.

“The way we do it has been not to take a full solution directly from overseas,” Sea Forrest chief executive George Lee told The Business Times, adding that most of these solutions are of European origin and are “pretty expensive”.

“What we do is that we take components and we build a system around the components, and how we are now driving the costs is that we’re going to concentrate on the more important portion of the system and we’re trying to duplicate those systems and try to mass produce,” he said.

Lee said the team then standardised its motors, controllers and battery systems before going for a bulk purchase from the vendor, which would qualify them for bigger discounts.

For example, Sea Forrest was able to create a device that can safely install swoppable batteries onboard a moving vessel for wireless charging to the tune of about S$40,000, a fraction of a more sophisticated Norwegian system that costs S$2 million.

“Theirs is an articulated arm – it’s a robotic arm, looks high class and very futuristic. Mine is not,” he said with a laugh. “It doesn’t look very nice, it still looks very primitive, but it works, and it also allows for wireless charging.”

Most of the time, the high costs of sustainable solutions stem from development costs, said Lee, but ongoing supply chain constraints are also driving up the prices of major components, making them more expensive to build and deliver.

This is further exacerbated by growing competition from electric vehicle (EV) makers, who are in the market for largely the same components.

There are also other potential costs to consider, Lee said, such as that for crew training, maintenance and infrastructure.

Still, companies pursuing sustainability can generate greater value over time, despite the upfront costs, said Geoffrey Yeo, assistant chief executive officer for urban solutions, sustainability and enterprise finance at Enterprise Singapore (Enterprise SG).

“For instance, enterprises that aim to reduce carbon emissions can start by improving their energy efficiency, which will result in significant cost savings over time,” he said.

“Enterprises will also benefit from their sustainability efforts in various ways, such as better engagement with customers, employees and other stakeholders, which can yield further business opportunities,” he added.

Companies can start their sustainability journey by examining projects that generate financial returns over the longer term, said Yeo.

“For projects that may not yield clear financial returns, companies can set aside a budget to pursue such efforts each year, focusing on areas that are most relevant for their business,” he said.

Above the topline

Patrick Lim, executive director and chief operating officer of BH Global, the technology group that Sea Forrest is a subsidiary of, believes the benefits of going green are intangible for the marine industry.

“When vessel owners invest in sustainability, we cannot talk to them about return on investment because it’s not going to happen. The amount of money they invest and the amount of fuel savings are not going to cover that investment,” he said.

Instead, the focus should be on how being green can help companies gain more business, he said.

Port authorities can do their part to encourage this, Lim added, such as, for example, giving greener ships priority at Jurong Port or other incentives.

It could take years to develop adequate charging infrastructure or for clean sources of marine fuel like hydrogen and ammonia to mature, said Lim, but in the meantime, electrification is the way to go to help reduce emissions, an urgent mission as the climate crisis deepens.

He added: “Ammonia is a solution, we know, maybe in the future, but what are we going to do now? Are we going to wait 3 years to do the research until the technology is mature? Or do we want to do step changes, start doing something and contribute to sustainability now?”

Making the commitment to go green as early as possible allows companies to reap a “first mover’s advantage”, said sustainability consultants.

Mapping a net-zero roadmap and holistically considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects would lead to better risk management and future-proofing, said Sharad Somani, head of infrastructure advisory and partner at KPMG in Singapore.

An immediate benefit could also be in the form of tapping on various green schemes of the government, accessing sustainable finance and raising green capital, he said.

“By becoming an early mover in the green space, companies can proactively also start looking at newer business opportunities in the low carbon technology space which can lead to further strengthening the business model,” he added.

This is also where sustainability can bring new opportunities to firms, said watchers.

“Being sustainable can enable companies to differentiate themselves from competitors, reduce business risks, and improve cost efficiency. Companies can also gain by developing green products, services and solutions to capture new demand in the green economy,” said Enterprise SG’s Yeo.

He added that the adoption of sustainability standards can provide businesses with greater transparency and trust in their products, services and practices.

“As sustainability demand increases globally, sustainability standards will be important particularly for companies that export their goods and services, operate in overseas markets, or work with MNCs (multinational corporations),” he said.

This is likely to matter more in the coming days – and years – as the sustainability agenda becomes increasingly important for firms that want to stay ahead of competition.

Read the full article on The Business Times.

Sea Forrest Power Solutions Pte Ltd (“SFP”) is proud to be in The Coastal Sustainability Alliance to decarbonise Singapore’s coastal delivery system.

The alliance is made up of SFP, Kuok (Singapore) Maritime Group, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), GenPlus, Jurong Port Singapore, TCOMS and TES.

They will lead Singapore to transition the country’s current 1,600 low-tech harbour craft, used to deliver supplies from shore to ships parked in Singapore’s waters, to run on more environmentally-friendly fuel and be more efficient as they are gradually phased out.

With investments of over $20 million from all 7 entities, they have plans to build a network of stationary and mobile electric chargers for these ships along the country’s coast and remodel used batteries from electric cars into modular packs for ships to prevent wastage. These electric vessels trials may begin as early as 2024.

The alliance is envisioning the new vessels that will be rolled out then to be compatible with the growing use of drones to deliver goods, suggesting that some craft can also be platforms for shorter-range drones to take off and land.

Some of these vessels could be autonomous and make multiple deliveries, instead of the current one-trip- one-delivery system that takes hours. The consequent reduction of launch boat movement – by about 20 per cent – by 2030 will also lead to less fuel use, part of the push towards more sustainable shipping.

Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, the guest-of-honour at the launch marks that Singapore is at a turning point of our sustainability journey where we must continue as a nation to achieve collective ambitious environmental targets.

This alliance is in line BH Global’s directions of environment, electrification, and digitalisation towards a sustainable economy. We are thrilled to see SFP’s progression towards a sustainable maritime for Singapore.

It is undeniable that climate change is real, manifesting itself in various ways from rising temperatures to extreme weather conditions and largely due to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

While we are well aware of the causes of climate change, the maritime industry, in particular, is on high alert. Shipping contributes to 2 to 3 percent of all carbon emissions due to high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO), which is burned when conventional propulsion systems are used. While many may believe this percentage is somewhat negligible, it is expected to grow to 17 percent by 2050, making it crucial that marine vessel owners adopt new ways of powering their vessels.

Among the various low-carbon alternatives, electric propulsion with battery systems is recognized as one of the most reliable options. It replaces the diesel engine by incorporating fuel cells to power the vessels, providing vessels with the ability to optimize battery efficiency and reduce onboard noise. Similar to electric cars, electric propulsion technology for marine vessels will contribute to the cutback of emissions from fossil fuels, and will undoubtedly play a big role in reducing the maritime industry’s carbon footprint.

Missing the Net Zero Emissions Target

Despite the push towards electrification and pledges made by industry stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that the maritime industry will fall short of achieving the net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050—a target established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Even though IEA attributes the shortfall to the lack of low-carbon options available in the market, many vessel owners are also resistant to the idea of adapting their vessels to incorporate electric systems.

This is largely due to the fact that fossil fuels have been the cheapest and most effective option for the longest time. What’s more, the lack of charging solutions in Singapore makes it tougher for electric vessel owners to charge their vessels, further justifying the resistance to the idea of switching propulsion systems.

Sea Forrest’s Electrification and Hybridization Business

In support of Singapore’s push towards the electrification of marine vessels, Sea Forrest makes it its utmost priority to provide sustainable solutions through its electrification and hybridization business.

Through research and development efforts, the company has developed a range of step-change solutions that will contribute to the reduction in carbon emissions of up to 20 percent. These products cater to owners still unsure about decarbonization as well as those who are pro-decarbonization and looking to take the first step towards zero free emission. Vessel owners can start with entry-level solutions and upgrade to a full electric propulsion system when they are more confident with the technology.

Additionally, Sea Forrest has designed and manufactured charging products to address the lack of charging solutions available. It has both shore-to-ship fast charge and ship to-ship charging solutions, thus enhancing the versatility of charging in different types of operations and demand.

As we move closer to 2050, Sea Forrest seeks to engage in efforts to develop more green solutions to support the push to electrify marine vessels and slow down the growth of carbon emissions by the maritime industry.