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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NewEarth Pte Ltd have been conferred the Environment Protection Award for their efforts in the development of Crystallisation Technology to recycle maritime and other industrial waste products into value-added construction materials such as bricks, pavers and aggregates. Mr Toh Ah Cheong, MPA Technology Director, and Mr Roy Tan, Chief Executive Officer of NewEarth, jointly received the prestigious award at the inaugural Seatrade Asia Awards held in Singapore yesterday evening.

Commenting on the award, Mr Toh said, "The Environment Protection Award recognises MPA's contribution and commitment to marine environment protection and our on-going efforts at driving research and development in, among other areas, clean technologies that help reduce and even eliminate pollutants from maritime activities. We are greatly encouraged by this award and will continue to promote R&D in new technologies for the maritime sector."

"This award is an accolade to NewEarth's co-inventors of the Crystallisation Technology, namely the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Our shareholders, together with the various government agencies, such as the National Environmental Agency, Economic Development Board and JTC Corporation, are instrumental in the construction of our landmark 'waste-to-resource' plant, the first of its kind in the world," said Mr Roy Tan.

He added "Currently, while the focus is on the local market, we have already seen significant interest from various European and Middle-Eastern regional players - in our Crystallisation Technology. This marks the start of our exploration into global business opportunities."

Successfully completed in 2005, the Crystallisation Technology offers a cost effective solution to safely treat contaminated dredged materials and industrial waste, and to convert them into environmentally safe construction and reclamation materials. This reduces or eliminates disposal and potential pollution issues arising from port and marine activities such as dredging, and disposal of maritime wastes such as oil sludge and copper slag. The project was supported by the Nanyang Technological University during the research stage. Currently, the MPA and NewEarth are working closely to promote the technology to the global maritime community.

The Seatrade Asia Awards are given in recognition of excellence and innovation in the maritime sector across the region for the past twelve months. The votes for the Environment Protection Award were cast based on a number of guiding criteria: new technology or significant improvements to existing technology that can reduce or prevent marine and atmospheric pollution; and emergency response strategies. The two other finalists contesting the Environment Protection Award were Castrol Marine Ltd and IHI Marine United.

Winners of the Seatrade Asia Awards were also assessed on these six principles: contribution and commitment to the development of the maritime sector across the region; innovation, either technical, operational or commercial; commitment to safety and quality; social and environmental responsibilities; business enterprise and achievement; engagement with training and development of personnel. The judging panel is made up of well-known and respected luminaries from the maritime community.