The Goal Zero Consortium has launched Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel, the Hydromover.
The lightweight, 18.5m vessel is equipped with swappable batteries, allowing it to transport up to 25 tonnes of cargo. The all-electric vessel has zero emissions and targets to achieve up to 50% operational cost savings due to improved energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs. Its battery, when depleted, can be swapped within minutes to minimize operational downtime.
Singapore has played a pivotal role in advertising sustainable shipping practices, contributing $9 million in funding in 2021 to Goal Zero and two other consortiums led by Keppel Fels and Sembcorp Marine. Keppel aims to establish an electric vessel supply chain by 2025, while Seatrium has not revealed a completion target. “We are seeing a dramatic electrification of all modes of transport, so we started by focusing on the electrification of the marine area,” said Mr Barclay, who headed Yinson Holdings’ offshore production business before becoming YGT CEO in January.
Eng Dih Teo, CEO of the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore, launched this groundbreaking milestone, underlining that more electric vessels are expected to navigate Singapore’s waters in the coming months. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has mandated that by 2030, all new harbour craft in Singapore waters have to operate on low-carbon energy solutions and reduce emissions by 15% from 2021 levels. Looking further ahead, the ambitious goal is for all harbor craft to be fully electric or utilize net-zero fuels by 2050.
