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ICCT paper studies pollution link to Singapore bunker sales

Singapore will need to transition to low-carbon bunkering if it wants to remain an important bunkering port and halt further investment in fossil fuel bunkering infrastructure.

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An International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) working paper published in July 2022 investigated greenhouse gas (GHG), air, and water pollution link to marine fuel sales at the Port of Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub.

The study said Singapore accounted for about one-fifth of reported marine fuel sales globally in 2019.

If Singapore accounted for GHG emissions associated with the residual fuel it sells, its total climate impact would be four times higher than its national inventory implies, resulting in per-capita emissions six times greater than the global average.

This was one of the key findings of the study in the working paper Exporting Emissions: Marine Fuel Sales at the Port of Singapore, which was written by authors Xiaoli Mao, Dan Rutherford, Liudmila Osipova and Elise Georgeff.

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The paper developed a new method to identify how and where ships bunker fuel and then uses data from 2019 to track the resulting air and water pollution worldwide.

“In doing so, we improved our understanding of the magnitude and distribution of emissions from international shipping. This better understanding of present bunkering practices can help guide decisions about how to transition to alternative marine fuels,” it said. 

In the seas surrounding Southeast Asia, marine residual fuel sold in Singapore accounts for more than 42% of all shipping PM2.5,. Hot spots are also seen in the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and throughout Oceania, including along the western and southern coasts of Australia.

Additionally, scrubber washwater discharges linked to residual fuel sold in Singapore polluted Singapore’s own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and waters in neighboring countries and even ports in Europe

The paper found Singapore ranking low in terms of absolute emissions, owing to the small size of its EEZ, but high in terms of relative contribution of PM2.5 (35%) and NOx (29%) from ships burning residual fuel bunkered in Singapore. Other neighboring countries, including Malaysia (37% of shipping PM2.5), Vietnam (30%), Sri Lanka (25%), Indonesia (23%), and India (22%), are also heavily impacted by Singapore marine fuel sales.

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It further highlights Singapore’s marine fuel sales contribute even more heavily to scrubber washwater discharges than for PM2.5 and NOx. 

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“For the most heavily impacted regions – Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, China, and Singapore itself – marine fuel bunkered in Singapore is responsible for at least 40% of all scrubber discharges in their EEZs despite scrubber washwater discharge bans in some countries,” read the paper. 

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The paper drew three main conclusions including Singapore needing to transition to low-carbon bunkering if it wants to remain an important bunkering port. 

“Singapore could halt further investment in fossil fuel bunkering infrastructure, for example by no longer registering new fossil fuel bunker barges,” said the study. 

It elaborates that any investments in bunkering infrastructure for LNG, which provides limited, if any, life-cycle GHG reduction relative to fossil bunker fuel, should be reviewed.

The paper also noted that Singapore could expand investments into “green” marine fuel development and support international efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, including continued work on a global carbon tax for marine fuels and the development of a Low GHG Fuel Standard (LGFS).

“Integrating shipping into Singapore’s domestic GHG inventory and Nationally Determined Contribution would further demonstrate Singapore’s resolve,” it said. 

Note: The full copy of “Exporting Emissions: Marine Fuel Sales at the Port of Singapore” can be read here

 

Photo credit: International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
Published: 18 July, 2022

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Methanol

CRI delivers world’s largest e-methanol reactor to Liaoyuan project in China

First phase of the project has a production capacity of 170,000 mt of renewable methanol annually, supporting demand for low-carbon fuels in shipping, chemicals, and other sectors.

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CRI delivers world’s largest e-methanol reactor to Liaoyuan project in China

Carbon Recycling International (CRI) has recently delivered the largest of its kind e-methanol reactor for the Liaoyuan E-Methanol Project in Jilin Province, China. 

CRI, a company that develops and deploys technology that converts carbon dioxide emissions into renewable methanol, said the delivery and successful installation of CRI’s proprietary methanol converter reactor is a major construction milestone. 

“The project continues to progress according to plan toward commissioning and start-up later this year,” it said. 

The Liaoyuan project is being developed by CRI’s client Tianying Group (CNTY) and once commissioned will become the largest e-methanol facility in operation globally. 

The first phase has a production capacity of approximately 170,000 metric tonnes (mt) of renewable methanol annually from green hydrogen and captured biogenic carbon dioxide, supporting the growing demand for low-carbon fuels in shipping, chemicals, and other sectors seeking practical and scalable pathways to decarbonisation.

The methanol converter reactor forms the core of CRI’s proprietary Emissions-to-Liquids (ETL) technology. Designed and supplied by CRI, the reactor is where renewable hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide are converted into renewable methanol through the company’s proven industrial-scale process. It has been specifically designed and constructed with operational flexibility as a key feature and represents the third generation of CRI’s e-methanol reactor design.

The successful installation represented a significant construction milestone and marked the transition to the final stages of project execution.

“The installation of the methanol converter reactor is an important milestone for both Tianying and CRI,” said John Milner, Project Manager at Carbon Recycling International. 

“The reactor is the core of our ETL technology and embodies nearly two decades of innovation, engineering development, and commercial operating experience. Seeing this equipment installed at one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy projects is a proud moment for our team and a major milestone as the Liaoyuan facility advances toward commissioning and start-up.”

CRI’s technology is already deployed at commercial scale at the company’s reference plants in Anyang and Lianyungang, and the Liaoyuan project represents the next step in the continued deployment of carbon recycling technology to support the production of renewable fuels and chemicals.

 

Photo credit: Carbon Recycling International
Published: 7 July, 2026

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Association

German bunker supplier Heinrich Wegener & Sohn joins Global Ethanol Association

Both will advance the development of ethanol and methanol bunkering by fostering collaboration across the maritime value chain.

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German bunker supplier Heinrich Wegener & Sohn joins Global Ethanol Association

Heinrich Wegener & Sohn, a family-run German company that supplies marine fuels and lubricants to the shipping industry, recently joined Global Ethanol Association as its newest member. 

With a long-standing reputation in maritime logistics and bunkering, the association said Heinrich Wegener & Sohn brings valuable expertise and industry leadership at a time when demand for low-carbon marine fuels is accelerating.

“Together, we look forward to advancing the development of ethanol and methanol bunkering by fostering collaboration across the maritime value chain, supporting infrastructure development, and helping enable the transition to cleaner, more sustainable shipping,” it said. 

The company, founded in 1929, focuses on the supply of marine diesel, gas oil, methanol, and certified biofuels in accordance with the RED II directive.

As a German reseller for Gulf Oil Marine, the company supplies marine lubricants to over 380 ships worldwide on a contract basis.

 

Photo credit: Heinrich Wegener & Sohn
Published: 7 July, 2026

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Ammonia

Grimaldi Group unveils ammonia-ready PCTC in Türkiye

Named after Türkiye’s largest city and economic capital, the “Grande Istanbul” is one of the 17 latest-generation, ammonia-ready PCTCs commissioned by the Grimaldi Group.

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Grimaldi Group unveils ammonia-ready PCTC in Türkiye

Grimaldi Group recently presented the Grande Istanbul, one of its latest-generation, ammonia-ready Pure Car & Truck Carriers (PCTCs), during a ceremony held at Autoport in Kocaeli, Türkiye.

Named after Türkiye’s largest city and economic capital, the Grande Istanbul is one of the 17 latest-generation, ammonia-ready PCTCs commissioned by the Grimaldi Group.

The vessel offers a capacity of up to 9,241 CEUs while reducing CO₂ emissions per unit of cargo by up to 50% compared with previous-generation car carriers.

“The ceremony reaffirmed the Group’s long-term commitment to Türkiye, where it has been operating for almost five decades,” the company said in a social media post.

“Today, around 20 state-of-the-art ro-ro vessels and PCTCs connect Turkish ports with a global network of more than 150 ports in over 60 countries, supporting the country’s automotive industry and international trade.”

The Grande Istanbul is currently deployed on the Grimaldi Group’s EuroMed Service, linking several ports in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, including Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa and İzmir in Türkiye. 

 

Photo credit: Grimaldi Group
Published: 7 July, 2026

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