The Kuok Maritime Group-led Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA) has announced the start of construction of the first fully electric PXO tug and supply boat by PaxOcean Group.
These zero-emissions vessels are among the first and largest local electric harbour craft designed for operation in Singapore’s coastal waters. They are targeted for deployment in 2025, ahead of the nation’s goal for all new coastal vessels to be fully electric or operate on low-carbon energy solutions by 2030.
Pacific Workboats has committed to purchasing the e-tug while KMG is investing in the construction and trials of the e-supply boat. Efforts to charter out the e-supply boat are ongoing.
As the PXO series will be deployed from Jurong Port, KMG is collaborating with the port to provide the electric charging infrastructure to support the operations of electric vessels. Over 50% of the components for the PXO vessels are sourced locally and Sea Forrest Power Solutions is in negotiations to supply components such as motors, battery management systems, and batteries for the e-supply boat.
At the signing of the MOU for the construction of the electric vessels, the CSA also welcomed nine new members – CIMC Energy Storage, DBS, Grant Thornton, Hanhwa Aerospace, KST Maritime, Marina Offshore, Paia Consulting, Siemens Energy, and Transport Capital, expanding the alliance to 27 members from the initial seven companies when it was formed in March 2022.
The new members come from diverse sectors, including finance, green energy, corporate and environmental consultancies, and maritime services.
“The expansion of the Coastal Sustainability Alliance and the commencement of construction for the PXO e-tug and e-supply boat signify a pivotal growth phase to create new revenue streams and scale the CSA ecosystem globally together with our alliance members,” said Tan Thai Yong, managing director of strategic projects and technology at KMG and chairman of the CSA Council.
