Business

ZeroNorth opens new office in Singapore to expand in Asia

New office cements firm’s continued growth strategy and opens its presence across Asia, offering closer connection with city state’s decarbonisation initiatives.

Published

4 years ago

September 15, 2022

Admin

Technology company ZeroNorth on Wednesday (14 September)said it is opening an office in Singapore’s Central Business District to further support the needs of its growing customer base in Asia.

The new office will be headed by ZeroNorth’s VP Sales and General Manager for Asia, Paul Van Vessem, who will work together with a team that is well known in Singapore’s local maritime industry.

Singapore, a global shipping and trading hub connected to 600 ports in over 120 countries, offers a central location in the region with a particularly strong focus on technology and sustainability innovation, making it an obvious choice for ZeroNorth to open its new office, said the firm.

“The city is also a top container shipping hub, bunkering port, and maritime technology centre, and operates the most technically advanced shipbuilding and ship-repair facilities in Southeast Asia,” it said.

The move to establish a presence in Singapore comes as a natural next step after several months of rapid expansion for ZeroNorth.

The company now has more than 170 employees in six countries, serves more than 50 customers from across the maritime sector, and has expanded its offering to six fully-fledged services on its data platform.

The new Singapore office further cements the organisation’s continued growth strategy and opens its presence across Asia, offering closer connection with the city state’s shipping and technology communities and active decarbonisation initiatives, said the company.

Soren Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth, said: “At this critical time in the energy transition, shipping companies are looking for the right partners to accelerate their decarbonisation efforts and advance their sustainability strategy. We are proud to be a purpose-led organisation that is playing a leading role in making global trade green by optimising operations for profit and planet, and we are very excited to bring our mission to the vibrant city of Singapore”.

Paul Van Vessem, VP Sales and General Manager for Asia, ZeroNorth, said: “We are a global venture built on the close business relationships that we develop with our customers. Opening an office in Singapore is a natural extension of our partnership mindset and will enable us to be right next door to our existing customers and within reach of potential customers in the Southeast Asian region. As a world leading hub in shipping, technology, and sustainability, Singapore is a perfect fit for us.

“Digital technologies create value by powering up commercial decision-making and improving competitiveness and transparency to counterparties. We recognise that digital transformation is not always easy, which is why being close to our existing customers and prospects to support them every step of the way is so important to us.”

Photo credit: ZeroNorth
Published: 15 September, 2022

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026