SIBCON 2026: Singapore Seeks to Strengthen Multi-Fuel Bunkering Capabilities
Singapore is advancing its capabilities across different marine fuel pathways to strengthen assurance and efficiency for ship bunkering, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai at the Singapore International Bunkering Conference on Wednesday.
“With the future fuel mix still uncertain, Singapore has decided not to bet on a single winning fuel but is instead building optionality – preparing several pathways so that, as demand develops, we have the standards, infrastructure and operational capabilities to support different fuels safely and at scale,” said Murali.
“Our role is not to pick one winner, but to build capabilities that give industry credible choices,” he added.
Ammonia is one such marine fuel pathway, with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and government agency Enterprise Singapore having launched a technical reference for ammonia bunkering.
Apart from ammonia, Singapore is expanding its LNG bunkering capacity and developing biomethane.
Singapore saw a record 571,400 metric tons of LNG bunker sales in 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, LNG sales reached approximately 436,000 mt, up about 23%–24% year on year from the same period in 2025, according to MPA data.
The country will also conduct its first ethanol bunkering operation later this week. The trial involves a Maersk vessel, bunkering supplier Golden Island and PSA Singapore, with around 5,000 mt of ISCC-certified bioethanol to be delivered at PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal. It is expected to be the world’s largest ethanol bunkering operation to date.
Singapore is also exploring biomethane as a lower-carbon pathway. MPA, CMA CGM and Singapore LNG Corp. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore how existing gas infrastructure and networks could support biomethane for maritime use.
Total bunkering sales in Singapore have remained robust this year so far, topping 42.5 million mt for the first nine months. However, fossil fuels — such as 0.5% very low sulfur fuel oil and high-sulfur fuel oil — still account for a large majority of sales.
–Reporting by Thomas Cho, thomas.cho@dowjones.com; Edited by Mei-Hwen Wong,
mei-hwen.wong@dowjones.com