Singapore tugboat becomes 'nation's first' to earn biofuel-ready status

Following a retrofitting initiative, Marina Zanite, a 2012-built tugboat operated by Singapore’s towage services provider Marina Offshore, has become ‘the first’ unit of its type in the country to receive a biofuel-ready notation from French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV).

According to Bureau Veritas, the 30-meter-long and 9-meter-wide tug underwent a retrofitting procedure to enable more sustainable operations, as part of Marina Offshore’s efforts to decarbonize its fleet.

As disclosed in a social media post by BV, the project involved modifications to the tank, as well as crew training. This ‘milestone’ is described as an ‘important’ step in Singapore’s maritime decarbonization endeavors, as the project is said to demonstrate the “efficiency” of adapting existing fleets for biofuel operations and, thus, future-proofing them in the wake of increasingly tight environmental regulations.

Reflecting on this development, Brian Lim, Head of Marketing of Marine Offshore, highlighted: “Meaningful collaborations such as this empower smaller operators like us to contribute towards MPA’s 2030 decarbonization targets while driving sustainable innovation in harbour towage operations.”

Singapore, the world’s top maritime center for the past 12 years per data