The Kuok Maritime Group (KMG) unveiled an electric supply boat and began construction of an electric tug with a keel-laying ceremony at their PaxOcean Pertama shipyard in Batam on Feb 5.
The two vessels, which are among the largest of their kind in Singapore’s waters, will be fully equipped to comply with Singapore’s 2030 goal of requiring all new harbour craft to be either fully electric, capable of using pure biodiesel, or compatible with net-zero fuels such as hydrogen.
The supply boat, PXO-EXL-1, is capable of cruising at eight knots in zero-emission operations. It can also accommodate a payload of 40 tonnes, or four times that of a normal supply boat. Coupled with an efficient hull design, the vessel can achieve 60% energy savings, providing significant costs and carbon emissions reduction.
The next step in the CSA’s electrification push is PXO-ACE-1, an electric tug scheduled for completion in early 2026. It will be the first such vessel to be built, delivered and operated in Singapore, with funding support from the MPA’s Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund.
Designed to accommodate zero-carbon fuels like ammonia or methanol, the tug is part of Singapore’s broader push to integrate green fuels into its maritime industry.
Both initiatives are part of the broader decarbonisation drive spearheaded by the 27-member Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA).
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CSA chair and KMG unit PaxOcean CEO Tan Thai Yong highlights that despite the higher cost to produce both vessels, largely due to the cost of batteries, overall operating expense (opex) is more manageable.
“Maintenance and opex for electric vessels are definitely cheaper than diesel-driven ones, because firstly, you don't have a main engine, you don't need to do major overhauls or top overhauls. You don't have to refuel oil. And as for the battery, you don’t need to touch that as well, you just have to charge it,” says Tan.
While the PXO-EXL-1 supply boat made use of local small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in its construction, the PXO-ACE-1 tug boat requires globally-sourced parts due to certain requirements by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
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Tan explains: “The raw materials such as steel plates and piping we can get from Indonesia, while the batteries will be acquired from Europe, as well as the vessel’s thrusters. The motor and all the key equipment will likely also come from Europe.”
He adds that supply chain issues have not come to plague the vessels’ construction timelines, and that PaxOcean has been able to deliver ahead of schedule.
Talent is also a hurdle that Tan sees minimal problems in crossing, due to what he deems an “initial fear” for operators switching from a conventional vessel to an electric one.
“I think operation and maintenance-wise, it's easier compared to, say, a conventional tugboat,” adds Tan. “There are fewer moving parts, fewer things to maintain, less seawater and freshwater pumps for the main engine. You don't have to keep on checking the coolant, it’s just a battery and electronics. I can’t say for sure everyone can be converted, but in general, 80% to 90% of operators can be.”
