Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam Strengthen Partnership

Andrew Tan, CEO of the MPA, moderated the Tuesday lecture intended to strengthen the partnership between Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Tuesday announced that Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam were working toward strengthening their partnership through two seperate sessions.

On Tuesday, the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Academy (MPAA) are said to have co-hosted a lecture on the Port and City of Rotterdam, titled the Era of Transition, which examined ways that the port industry can work toward a sustainable and bio-based economy.

The session was led by Adriaan Visser, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam, and Allard Castelein, President of the Port of Rotterdam (PoR), and was moderated by Andrew Tan, the MPA's CEO.

Following that, the MPA is said to have been set to host an interactive roundtable discussion with the PoR on Wednesday, intended to "further strengthen the years of strong partnership."

The roundtable was scheduled to include discussion on the development of Singapore's Tuas Port and Rotterdam's Maasvlakte 2, as well as current and major issues in liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering, and port innovation in the context of culture of green practices.

"The dynamic and complex challenges facing the shipping industry brought about by strong economic headwinds, stricter regulations, ever growing vessels and new technologies require port authorities to work more closely with each other and with industry partners to develop innovative solutions to tackle the challenges," said Andrew Tan, CEO of the MPA.

"The lecture today and the subsequent roundtable discussions involving key industry players will provide more opportunities for exchange of best practices and collaborations to improve efficiency, sustainability, safety and security, as well as the adoption of future-ready technology and infrastructure in ports."

The roundtable was set to include sharing of best practices in data analytics, as well as port efficiency and optimisation research and development, said the MPA.

"MPA and PoR share the same ambition to deliver an efficient, smart, safe and secure and a green and community-oriented port," said Allard Castelein, President of the Port of Rotterdam.

"Through the sharing of collaborative experiences via interactive platforms such as the lecture and roundtable discussion, we can expand on solutions for the development of our ports."

In April, Ship & Bunker reported that the MPA and the PoR had signed a memorandum of understanding intended to optimise efficiency in the maritime and port sectors through information exchange on standards, procedures, and regulatory frameworks of bunkering and other marine services.