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Singapore can become a centre of excellence in methanol bunkering

Nation state’s bunkering fleet is the ideal testbed to deploy low carbon fuel and convert infrastructure to handle new customers, writes Chris Chatterton.
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The Methanol Institute recently wrote an article highlighting next generation bunkering opportunities for methanol in Singapore. It was written by Chris Chatterton, Chief Operating Officer at Methanol Institute Singapore, and shared with Manifold Times:

All countries want to move the dial on decarbonisation but few are as uniquely placed to do so as Singapore. As the world’s leading bunker port and a key gateway on the Asia-Europe trades, it sits amid the world’s fastest growing markets. 

That growth also makes it a critical player in reducing greenhouse gas emissions both in the region and on a global basis. The decision by large container lines to build ships that will use Methanol as marine fuel illustrate that Singapore has a limited window in which to adapt its bunkering infrastructure and lower emissions in the port.

Methanol is a liquid fuel, safe and simple to handle with standardised training and minimal conversion of existing bunkering infrastructure required. It has the ability to reduce in-service carbon emissions and comes with a pathway to renewable products that provides the net carbon neutral fuel that the liner operators will use. It is also fully compliant with sulphur emissions under IMO Marpol Annex VI.

It has regulatory approval under the IMO’s IGF Code and the 55 dual fuel Methanol engines in service and on order from MAN demonstrate that owners see it as an important component of the energy transition. Wartsila has recently unveiled its W32 engine which will be available as a methanol dual fuel version, with other models to follow over the next two years.  

The latest discussions at IMO, which are moving towards accounting for maritime carbon emissions on a well-to-wake basis, are prompting producers of renewable Methanol to see maritime as a market with long term potential.

Discussions at the recent Asia Pacific Maritime event indicated a heightened level of interest in methanol among policymakers and a realisation that while Ammonia may possibly be the long-term solution, Methanol should be considered as a minimum, the bridge required to make progress against IMO targets in the meantime.

Interest in Methanol as marine fuel is already growing across Singapore’s maritime sector, with more requests being made for advice and insight on bunkering practices and safety training. Local distributors and international producers have signalled their interest to provide both the product and the expertise and make investments in infrastructure and vessels, which will enable Singapore to allow methanol to be available by year end.

What Singapore needs now is to seize the opportunity. Its bunkering community ranges from large, integrated energy companies to small operators but all of them need support to begin the energy transition we know is coming. Its fleet of vessels – new and old, large and small – presents an ideal opportunity to be repurposed to operate on Methanol and be converted to supply at low cost and with minimal technical exposure.  This is especially so within the harbour craft and work boat sector.

Undertaken as a national endeavour, it might even be possible to tie the supply of fuel to a sectoral conversion or newbuilding programme, gaining a better delivered price for users.

Experience gained in converting vessels, training crews and converting midstream and downstream bunkering to Methanol would give Singapore valuable knowledge and expertise before large Methanol fuelled cargo ships start calling in 18-24 months.

The advantage that Methanol offers is that there is no need to delay. The know-how, engines, and infrastructure are all available now, providing a means to begin reducing emissions immediately rather than waiting for the next generation of fuel to become available.

This is critical to understand because pressure on carriers and their customers for greater transparency around emissions reduction is growing quickly. Under a proposed Securities and Exchange Commission rule, companies may soon be required to disclose their actual greenhouse gas emissions and climate related risks in periodic filings. These businesses will increasingly be called upon to account for their full emissions supply chain, including scope three emissions incurred by their service providers. 

Leveraging local policy grounded in global regulations can make Singapore the leading provider of low carbon tools and reduction technology and ultimately renewable methanol bunkers in Asia-Pacific. As a critical maritime player, its position on emerging ‘green corridors’ could make it the low carbon hub in a regional network that acts as the model for shipping’s energy transition.

 

Photo credit and source: Methanol Institute
Published: 11 April, 2022

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Biofuel

BHP and GCMD trial multi-feedstock B100 bio bunker fuel on bulk carrier

Bio-blend in the BHP and GCMD pilot is being used on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier “Berge Lyngor”, which was bunkered in Singapore in early May.

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BHP and GCMD trial multi-feedstock B100 bio bunker fuel on bulk carrier

BHP and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Wednesday (3 June) said they have blended biofuels from two distinct feedstocks—used cooking oil and waste animal fats —and introduced the lower-emissions marine fuel into a BHP-chartered bulk carrier as part of a pilot project.

The bio-blend in the BHP and GCMD pilot is being used on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier Berge Lyngor, owned and operated by Berge Bulk, transporting BHP iron ore from Western Australia to China. When run on bio-blend, the vessel has the potential to reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 79 per cent per voyage compared to sailing on very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).

The vessel bunkered in Singapore in early May with a B100 bio-blend comprising 50 percent tallow-derived biodiesel, sourced and supplied by HAMR Energy, and 50 per cent used cooking oil (UCOME) supplied by Mitsui & Co Energy Trading Singapore (METS).

Mitsui also blended the fuel and Dan-Bunkering coordinated and executed the bunkering operation, which was performed by Global Energy’s barge MT Maple.

The BHP and GCMD pilot will assess how biofuels from multiple feedstocks can be blended, handled, and introduced under real-world operating conditions using existing used cooking oil bunkering infrastructure.

At the same time, insights from this pilot will help identify solutions to challenges related to fuel quality, handling, traceability, and onboard vessel performance.

Biofuels for global shipping today rely heavily on used cooking oil – a feedstock whose availability is approaching its projected limits. Biofuel from waste animal fats presents a promising option to expand the supply of lower-emissions marine fuels.

The outcomes of the pilot are expected to shed light on the practical steps to integrate biofuel blends from different feedstocks into existing supply chains. The diversity of biofuels will provide shipowners and operators with greater flexibility to optimise fuel procurement based on cost, availability, and lifecycle emissions performance.

Biofuels derived from different feedstocks can exhibit varying properties that may impact operations, including potential corrosion from oxidation, fuel system clogging caused by wax formation, which this pilot aims to assess.

The pilot will trace and verify the biofuel blend’s integrity aimed at bolstering confidence in emissions reductions reporting. The pilot will also provide insights into how robust tracing can support future marine fuel supply chains where biofuels from multiple feedstocks with varying lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions footprints are blended together.

This project is co-funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore under the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT).

 

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 3 June, 2026

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Biofuel

NYK starts one-year B100 bio bunker fuel trial on car carrier

In this trial, NYK will operate a car carrier continuously on B100 for one year to evaluate the impact on engines, fuel supply systems, and operational practices.
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NYK starts one-year B100 bio bunker fuel trial on car carrier

Japanese shipping firm NYK on Tuesday (2 June) said it has commenced a one-year long-term trial involving the continuous use of 100% biofuel (B100) on an NYK-operated car carrier. 

In this trial, NYK will operate a car carrier continuously on B100 for one year to evaluate the impact on engines, fuel supply systems, and operational practices. High-purity biofuels such as B100 are known to be susceptible to degradation from oxygen, light, and heat, raising concerns about the stability of such fuels during long-term use.

In this trial, the biofuel primarily comprises FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) derived from used cooking oil and similar feedstocks.

The initiative is designed to evaluate the fuel’s effects on the vessel’s equipment and verify operational safety under real-world conditions. 

Through this effort, NYK seeks to accumulate technical expertise that will support the broader use of high-purity biofuels and further accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

NYK has been advancing the use of biofuels through various initiatives. In 2024, the company conducted a trial using biofuel blend B24 and subsequently expanded practical usage to B30. However, the company said there remains limited global experience with the long-term continuous use of B100.

“By collecting long-term operational data through this trial, NYK aims to accumulate valuable technical insights to support both the safe operation of vessels and the wider adoption of high-purity biofuels,” it said. 

 

Photo credit: NYK
Published: 3 June, 2026

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Ammonia

AM Green plans to build green ammonia plant at Indian port

Initiative also includes development of green ammonia handling, storage and bunkering infrastructure, pilot bunkering operations, safety procedures and training programmes, says VOC Port Authority.

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June 3, 2026

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VO Chidambaranar (VOC) Port Authority on Friday (29 May) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s ammonia producer AM Green Ammonia to collaborate in the development of a green ammonia production plant.

The plant will have a capacity of one million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at Tuticorin.

The initiative also includes development of green ammonia handling, storage and bunkering infrastructure, pilot bunkering operations, safety procedures and training programmes. 

The project is expected to support the development of green fuel corridors connecting VOC Port with major ports in Europe and Asia, thereby strengthening India’s position in the global green fuels value chain.

VOC Port also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bureau Veritas (India) Pvt. Ltd., to collaborate on Green Port certification, emissions accounting, ESG reporting, safety validation, development of green bunkering practices, and establishment of a Centre of Excellence for green fuels and sustainability.

The port also plans for an upcoming 750 m³ green methanol bunkering facility.

 

Photo credit: Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash
Published: 3 June, 2026

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