Danish, Norwegian and Singapore maritime authorities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the adoption of E-Certificates for the shipping community.

Signed by the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA), the MoU is a part of the move to digitalise the shipping industry for greater efficiencies.

The areas of cooperation under the MOU include the promotion and use of E-Certs on ships registered under the respective flags of the parties, the acceptance of E-Certs for port entry and Port State Control inspections, as well as the sharing of information and experiences relating to issuance, use and acceptance of E-Certs.

“Our first target is to inspire and support more countries to implement similar solutions. The reduction of paperwork benefits all stakeholders as it makes the entire maritime sector more efficient,” Andreas Nordseth, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority, said.

He added that the MoU is expected to “encourage many countries to complete a similar transition.”

On his part Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA, stated  “I am glad that Denmark, Norway and Singapore have led the way to show the potential of harnessing ICT to improve administrative efficiency while reducing costs for the benefit of the industry,”

The signing ceremony was done at the sidelines of the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), taking place at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore from April 23 to April 28, this year.