Shell to switch to electric ferries in Singapore

Shell has commissioned at least three fully-electric ferries for its operations in Singapore, aiming to replace the diesel-fuelled ferries currently in use.

The contract given to Singapore operator Penguin International is for the ferries to be operational in the first half of 2023. The 200-seat vessels will link the Singapore mainland to Shell's energy and chemicals operations at Pulau Bukom, home to its 500,000 b/d refinery.

The ferries will be powered by a 1.2MWh lithium-ion battery. They will be charged by a combination of fast charging during peak hours and slow charging during off-peak hours and overnight.

"Electrification is a solution to decarbonise short voyages, including port operations," said the general manager of Shell Shipping and Maritime for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Nick Potter. "Switching to zero-emission, fully-electric ferries is part of Shell's ambition to help accelerate progress towards net-zero emissions in the shipping sector."

Shell is already planning to trial the use of hydrogen fuel cells for vessels through a feasibility study in Singapore. Shell hopes to install the fuel cell next year on an existing roll-on/roll-off vessel that carries equipment to the Pulau Bukom refinery. It will assess the vessel's operations for 12 months.  

It last year outlined a 10-year plan to cut its CO2 emissions in Singapore by about a third within a decade. It plans to reduce its global net carbon intensity by 6-8pc by 2023, 20pc by 2030 and 45pc by 2035, all compared with 2016 levels. The company aims to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

By Richard Davies