Ships go green with e-certs

The authorities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the acceptance, adoption and use of e-certs on ships and at ports during entry and inspection activities, instead of the hard copy documents commonly used currently.

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) chief executive, Andrew Tan, who attended a ceremony in Singapore to sign the MoU, said: “Through such initiatives as e-certification, Singapore seeks to harness the growing importance of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to prepare the maritime sector for a digital future. We look forward to working with more partners to promote the use of technology in the industry. The time is ripe for this. I am glad that Denmark, Norway and Singapore have led the way to show the potential of harnessing ICT to improve administrative efficiency while reducing costs for the benefit of the industry.”

The MOU was also signed by Andreas Nordseth, director general of the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and His Excellency Tormod C. Endresen, Norwegian Ambassador to Singapore on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA).

The MoU is believed to be the first of its kind between maritime authorities of European nations and an Asian country.