The role ports play in the path to net zero

BY TAN JOO HONG

With over 80 per cent of the world’s goods transported via the sea, ports serve as critical nodes of connectivity in the trade network. The volatile business environment, a result of current world events, has highlighted the importance of efficient and seamless trade connectivity, and its potential disruption.

At the same time, momentum around sustainability continues to pick up globally and the shipping industry is facing increasing pressure to lower its carbon footprint.  Ports have a crucial role to play in a country’s decarbonisation efforts and the drive towards realising a net-zero future. To achieve this and improve productivity, ports must embark on automation and electrification of its operations to remain competitive for the long term.

Achieving net zero in ports is no longer just an option, but rather a necessary business strategy for operators to ensure sustainable growth. Countries, including Singapore, recognise the importance of doing so.

For example, the new Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint announced this year signals Singapore’s commitment to act decisively, as it outlines ambitious goals aimed at intensifying decarbonisation efforts. This includes reducing absolute emissions at port terminals by at least 60 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and achieving net-zero emissions at all port terminals by 2050. Such a commitment is integral to the city-state, especially as Singapore is raising its climate ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by or around mid-century.

Digitalisation

Transitioning ports to net zero would require a multi-pronged approach, powered by digitalisation. Ports should start by gaining the ability to manage and control the carbon emissions of their operations. Once this is achieved, ports should deploy targeted measures in specific areas such as energy management, machine/equipment, and general operations, to reduce carbon emissions. Following these, ports can then look at devising and implementing a carbon-offsets strategy.

Digitalisation can help ensure the success of this approach. As simple as it may sound, it involves complex factors in energy management, carbon abatement, carbon offsets, renewable energy such as wind and solar, electric mobility as well as energy trading. This complexity can be tackled through collaboration with like-minded partners.

Envision Digital, for example, works closely with PSA International, one of the largest ports in the world with round-the-clock operations. As the Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (AIoT) software leader for net-zero ports, our collaboration has made use of innovative technology to optimise energy consumption and management.

The use of technology has offered various benefits to ports. Emerging technologies, such as AIoT, enable ports to automate distributed energy sources such as solar photovoltaics and electric autonomous prime movers, without impacting daily operations. This enhances energy efficiency and enables intelligent real-time collaboration across machines.

Through a smart-grid management system, ports will also be able to leverage proprietary weather and load forecast services, which will allow them to manage the energy consumption of buildings optimally and achieve energy load optimisation.

Such intelligence capabilities - coupled with the smart-grid system that optimises energy management of port equipment, and the use of renewable energy sources such as solar - can help port terminals accelerate their transition to net-zero.

It is heartening that the Singapore government is already providing support through initiatives like digitalPORT@SG; a strong digital integration will empower port terminals to drive positive impact and achieve sustainability on a greater scale.

Partnerships

The digitalisation and decarbonisation of port terminals will undoubtedly play a huge role in the global energy transition, but this step-change cannot be achieved by one player alone. Partnerships with industry stakeholders are key in promoting knowledge-sharing, fostering innovation and powering growth in the transition to intelligent and sustainable ports. For instance, as the AIoT software leader for net zero, Envision Digital is committed to sharing valuable expertise on industry concepts, systems and case studies by leveraging past experiences and technological capabilities.

On a government level, partnerships are integral to a country’s commitment to develop a responsible and sustainable maritime industry. At the recent Singapore Maritime Week, for example, it was announced that Singapore will join the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors, together with 22 other Signatory States. The Declaration aims to support the establishment of zero-emission maritime routes between ports.

Alongside this, cross-country collaboration can also help ports learn from the best practices of other maritime hubs. The Port of Antwerp, a seaport in the heart of Europe, for example, has partnered with Envision Digital - headquartered in Singapore - to develop green port solutions to reduce, among other things, greenhouse gases in ports.

The establishment of zero-emission maritime routes and cross-country partnerships will require some form of digitalisation to be effective and efficient. Innovative technologies already implemented in ports like PSA International can be used as a reference for ports in other countries seeking similar objectives.

The next frontier

The road to achieving net-zero ports will not be without its challenges. But operators that have already embarked on their decarbonisation journey stand to gain greater competitive advantage and business opportunities, and will attract more stakeholders, while gaining new revenue streams.

More can be done to narrow the gap in the wider decarbonisation movement - and the development of net-zero ports, enabled by the adoption of clean energy and digitalisation, will allow countries such as Singapore to stay ahead of the game.

In enabling a net-zero future, coordinated efforts on an industry and government level, along with making use of digitalisation opportunities, will be crucial to mitigating potential challenges and promoting the development of net-zero ports. Keeping these in mind can determine the heights the industry can scale, and how quickly we can get to achieving net-zero emissions at all port terminals by 2050.

Tan Joo Hong is head of Global Ports Solution at Envision Digital.