MPA of Singapore selects vessel charging concepts for electric harbour craft
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has selected the Pyxis Energy Pte Ltd, Pyxis Maritime Pte Ltd and SP Mobility Pte Ltd partnership, Seatrium O&G (International) Pte Ltd, and Yinson Electric Pte Ltd, for their vessel charging concepts to be piloted in Singapore, according to MPA's release.
The proposal by Pyxis and SP Mobility will be deployed at Marina South Pier, while MPA will work with Seatrium and Yinson to further develop their concepts prior to testing.
The selection follows the call for proposal (CFP) by MPA on 29 August 2023 to develop, operate, and maintain e-HC charging points in Singapore. At the close of the CFP[1] on 19 October 2023, MPA received 12 proposals from companies and consortiums for the two-year pilot, which includes an option to extend for another year.
Pyxis Energy Pte Ltd, Pyxis Maritime Pte Ltd, and SP Mobility Pte Ltd partnership’s proposed concept is based on Direct Current (DC) charging, and was selected for the viability of the proposed price charging model and their experience and good track record of implementing charging points for electric vehicles. Their proposed charging point for this CFP also complies with the national electric vehicle charging standard set by Technical Reference 25:2022, which was used as a proxy for this CFP while MPA is developing the national standards for charging infrastructure for e-HC. The partnership also plans to operate its fleet of e-HCs at Marina South Pier and these e-HCs will serve as the base offtake to ensure optimisation of the charging infrastructure and enable comprehensive data to be gathered during the pilot.
The pilot is planned from March 2024 to March 2026 with an option to extend by another year to March 2027. Pending the pilot’s outcome and findings, the concept could be applied to other sites to support e-HC operations in the Port of Singapore. Insights from the data collected will also contribute towards the development of a national e-HC charging infrastructure masterplan, implementation plan, and also the national standards for e-HC charging infrastructure to support e-HC operations in Singapore. The national electric vehicle charging standard set by Technical Reference (TR) 25:2022 will be used as a reference for the development the national standards for e-HC charging. The TR covers the safety requirements for electrical installations to provide supply for the charging of electric vehicles or batteries and includes the testing and inspection requirements of electric vehicle charging stations.
In addition to the proposal by Pyxis Energy Pte Ltd, Pyxis Maritime Pte Ltd, SP Mobility Pte Ltd partnership, MPA has also assessed potential in the innovative mobile charging concept proposed by Seatrium O&G (International) Pte Ltd, and a high power (350-450kW) DC Charger proposed by Yinson Electric Pte Ltd. MPA will continue working with the two companies to further develop their proposals for future applications in Singapore through R&D collaboration.
From 2030, all new harbour craft operating in the Port of Singapore will have to be fully electric, be capable of using B100 biofuel, or be compatible with net zero fuels such as hydrogen. MPA plans to progressively roll out the charging infrastructure for e-HC operations in Singapore from 2025. MPA will continue to monitor technology trends and develop pilots to support the development of electrification charging standards for domestic maritime activities.
The CFP follows from an Expression of Interest launched in July 2023 for proposals to design and promote adoption of full-e-HC in Singapore.
