Shell launched its first-ever electric ferry on Monday at the Singapore refinery-petrochemical complex on Pulau Bukom to assist the city-state’s port authority in reducing carbon emissions from ships. The move aligns with the Singapore port authority’s rule for all new harbour craft operating in its region to run on biofuels or net-zero fuels or be fully electric by 2030.
Shell Eastern Trade will develop the charging stations for the electric harbour craft and conduct research and development for low and carbon-neutral fuels over the next five years. This ferry is the first in a series of 200-seater fully electric commuter ferries. The oil giant intends to add two more such ferries to its fleet by August, thus partly replacing the current diesel-powered ferries. The company will also execute a hydrogen fuel cell trial on a Shell-chartered ship later this year.
