NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTSQ1 2014/ ISSUE 01
A new payment scheme known as the Annual Administrative Fee (AAF) scheme was introduced from 1 January 2014 onwards. The scheme offers ship owners and operators of Singapore-registered ships the added option of choosing to pay an annual flat fee of S$600 per ship for registration and crewing-related services instead of paying on a per transaction basis. While most of the fees for transactions and services rendered are usually relatively small in dollar amounts per transaction, the number of transactions a year may be voluminous. This scheme is thus expected to increase administrative convenience especially for companies handling invoices and making payments. In addition, majority of ship owners and operators can expect to enjoy significant cost savings of up to an estimated S$1,000 per ship under the AAF scheme as compared to paying on a per transaction basis. Currently, we have more than 900 ships enrolled since the implementation of the scheme and would like to encourage more ship owners to come on board.
The Maritime Singapore Green Initiative was launched by MPA to reduce the environmental impact of shipping and related activities and to promote clean and green shipping in Singapore. It is a comprehensive initiative introduced in 2011 comprising three programmes - Green Ship Programme, Green Port Programme and Green Technology Programme. MPA pledged to invest up to $100 million over a period of five years in the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative. Several enhancements were introduced in 2013.
The Green Ship Programme was expanded to recognise Singapore-flagged ships that adopt approved SOx scrubber technology, which go beyond the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) emission requirements. This comprises a 25% reduction of their Initial Registration Fees and a 20% rebate on their Annual Tonnage Tax. Singapore-flagged ships which adopt both energy efficient ship designs and approved SOx scrubber technology that exceeds IMO's requirements will enjoy 75% reduction of their Initial Registration Fees and 50% rebate on their Annual Tonnage Tax.
Under the Green Port Programme, the port dues reduction for ocean-going vessels that burn clean fuels or use approved abatement technology throughout their entire stay in the Port of Singapore was increased from 15% to 25%. A new tier of port dues reduction of 15% was introduced for ocean-going vessels that burn clean fuels or use approved abatement technology only while at berth.
The grant limit under the Green Technology Programme was increased from S$2 million to S$3 million for qualifying projects that can achieve more than 10% reduction in emission levels.
With effect from 1 April 2014, MPA will be launching a series of e-Finance initiatives on the MARINET system. These initiatives aim to provide customers with increased convenience in retrieving financial documents and offer alternative modes of payment, and comprise the following:
In response to customer feedback, access charges to MARINET have been removed from 1 April 2014.
MPA collaborated with the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) to organise the first in a series of dialogue sessions to the shipping community on 13 February 2014. The dialogue sessions reinforce the importance of the safety of navigation in the Singapore Strait and Singapore’s port waters.
The dialogue session was attended by more than 100 representatives from the shipping community, including ship owners, ship managers, ship charterers and shipping agents, who have direct channels to convey the safety messages to the ship masters and officers. The session covered the interim measures to be adopted, as well as reminders to the ships’ crew on their responsibilities and practices on the safe navigation of their ships. The industry welcomed the session and took the opportunity to voice suggestions that could further enhance safe navigation within these waters, which would be considered through further dialogues between MPA and the shipping community.
APL New York participated in an SAR mission on 12 March 2014. JRCC Honolulu informed that a distress signal was received in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Without hesitation, the ship altered course to the distress location and an extra 6 lookouts were posted on the deck and bridge. The ship reported that a small floating object, blue and white in colour was found at the location. At the request of the US Coast Guard aircraft, APL New York proceeded another 9 miles to look for floating targets and survivors. A liferaft and rigid raft tied up to a green-coloured fishing net were spotted. This information was reported to JRCC Honolulu. The ship continued on for another 50 miles to search for any possible survivors. In total, APL New York spent nearly 12 hours and covered a distance of approximately 148 miles for the SAR mission. MPA would like to compliment the officers and crew of APL New York for answering and lending a helping hand to the distress call.
The Shipping Division visited the Singapore-registered drill ship, Bolette Dolphin, on the 10th and 11th of March when she was at the West Jurong Anchorage. The new drill ship was registered in the Singapore Registry on 4 December 2013. We would like to thank Dolphin Drilling for graciously inviting us onboard to their newbuild. Here is a photo of us on the Helicopter Deck of the ship.
The rig naming ceremony of Maersk Intrepid was held on 21 March 2014. This jack-up rig is built by Keppel Group and will be Maersk’s 10th drilling rig registered with Singapore. We would like to congratulate Maersk Drilling on the naming of the jack-up rig.
As part of our ongoing efforts to further improve our service standards to the shipping and harbourcraft community, the MPA has introduced an online system to help reduce the customer waiting time at One-Stop Document Centre (OSDC). With effect from 1 Apr 2014, customers can book appointments with MPA prior to their visit to OSDC. To make an appointment, customers can access it via the MARINET e-services main page.