Australia and Singapore have selected eight projects for funding as part of a $20 million initiative to help reduce maritime emissions.
The Australia-Singapore Initiative on Low Emissions Technologies (ASLET) supports the objectives of the Singapore and Australia Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), which will help accelerate decarbonization and digitization of shipping routes between Singapore and Australia. The partnership aims to reduce costs of using low emissions fuels; improve technical and commercial readiness of low emissions fuels and technologies; improve investment; and reduce emissions; as well as strengthen the partnership between Australia and Singapore maritime and port industries.
Some of the projects that will be funded include:
- an ammonia safety training program for maritime and port operations
- a pre-feasibility study that will inform the uptake of e-methanol in short-sea vessels by assessing technical, infrastructure, regulatory and commercial readiness
- hydrogen fuel production from an integrated liquid organic hydrogen carrier system suitable for maritime and port applications
- an Australian electric ferry project
- a digital environmental and safety analysis tool to support uptake of Scalable Zero Emission Fuels (SZEFs) in the Australia-Singapore shipping corridor
- and a national testbed for low-emission ammonia-fueled energy systems at CSIRO’s site in Newcastle, NSW.
The program is jointly delivered by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on behalf of the governments of Australia and Singapore.
The ASLET grant opportunity was launched in July 2024 to support projects that will help accelerate the deployment and uptake of zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies for maritime and port operations. The co-investment initiative supports the maritime and port sectors in Australia and Singapore towards a zero and near-zero emissions future while delivering bilateral economic benefit. Both Singapore and Australia have committed up to $10 million each in their respective currencies to deliver projects under the initiative.
A total of 32 applications were received from universities, research institutes and industry based in Australia and Singapore. The selected projects have also attracted co-contributions and are expected to be completed within the next two years.
