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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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Milestone

China: Chimbusco and BJEC enter green methanol cooperation agreement

Document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.
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Chimbusco x BJEC MT

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd. (Chimbusco) and POWERCHINA Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited (BJEC) on Thursday (3 July) formally entered into a green methanol strategic cooperation framework agreement.

The document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

BJEC, a subsidiary of China Power Engineering Group, is experienced in the survey, design, construction and technology research and development of large-scale renewable energy projects.

Moving forward, the two parties said they will respectively focus on their core advantages and work together to promote the production, supply, storage and refuelling of green methanol as an energy source to help support the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

Ding Lihai said: “The shipping industry is one of the important sources of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon fuel is the key to the transformation of the industry. As the main force in the supply of bunker fuel, Chimbusco has been committed to expanding its clean fuel supply capacity. The cooperation with BJEC will integrate the advantages of green energy development and fuel supply, accelerate the large-scale application of green methanol, and meet the needs of shipping companies for clean fuel. We look forward to providing effective solutions for the green transformation of the shipping industry through the joint efforts of both parties.”

Li Jianjun said: “Implementing the ‘dual carbon’ goal is an important responsibility of enterprises. BJEC has accumulated strong technical strength in the field of green energy. This cooperation with Chimbusco will focus on the entire industrial chain of green methanol, from raw materials, production to supply, to provide clean and sustainable fuel solutions for the shipping industry. The complementary advantages of both parties will promote the rapid development of the green methanol industry and inject strong impetus into the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.”

 

Photo credit: China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd.
Published: 8 July 2025

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Milestone

Towngas and Royal Vopak collaborate to expand green methanol supply chain network

‘Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said its Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.
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July 8, 2025

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Towngas x Royal Vopak MT

Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Vopak China Management Co., Ltd. (Royal Vopak) on Tuesday (8 July) said both recently signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to collaborate in areas such as green methanol production, storage, bunkering, and trading etc.

Focusing on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Asia-Pacific markets, both parties are joining forces to expand an efficient green methanol supply chain network and support the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.

The two parties will capitalise on their respective strengths to expand the supply network of green methanol.

Towngas employs proprietary technology to convert agricultural and forestry waste as well as scrap tyres into green methanol, and has obtained multiple international certifications and provides a sufficient supply of green methanol for maritime fuel bunkering.

Royal Vopak provides green methanol storage and terminal services with its comprehensive storage and terminal infrastructure and coastal port network advantages.

Together, the two parties will achieve efficient resource allocation and ship green methanol to the Greater Bay Area, East China, South China, and the broader Asia-Pacific markets, further expanding the green methanol supply chain network.

Towngas and Royal Vopak will further develop multiple areas of regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging the strengths of the ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the partnership will focus on “production and storage synergy” as its core to strengthen cooperation around logistics and terminal facility construction, and to build an integrated green methanol storage and transportation network.

In East China, the two parties will centre their collaboration in Shanghai and Ningbo, two major international ports, to further strengthen cooperation in logistics storage and bunkering facility construction to meet the growing demand for green fuels at both ports.

In the Bohai Bay region, with Tianjin as the strategic hub, Towngas will transport green methanol produced at its northern China production base to Royal Vopak’s local storage tank farm, then achieve resource allocation through the Royal Vopak’s distribution network, supporting the supply of green methanol from northern China to the national and Asia-Pacific markets.

The two parties will also target key export markets, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, to accelerate overseas expansion and boost the market competitiveness of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said Sham Man-fai, Towngas Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

“It was completed with the support of Royal Vopak’s Tianjin storage tank farm facilities, laying a solid foundation for this partnership.

“Towngas’s Inner Mongolia green methanol plant is set to increase its annual capacity from 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to 300,000 tonnes by 2028. Together with Royal Vopak’s storage and terminal services infrastructure and coastal port network, the two parties will build a comprehensive green methanol supply chain network.”

 

Photo credit: Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Published: 8 July 2025

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Biofuel

Chimbusco Pan Nation bio bunker fuel supply volume in H1 2025 surpasses 2024 total

Company supplied over 78,000 metric tonnes of marine biofuel in Hong Kong in the first six months of 2025, surpassing its total biofuel supply for the whole of 2024.

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July 7, 2025

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Chimbusco Pan Nation bio bunker fuel supply volume in H1 2025 surpasses 2024 total

Hong Kong-based marine fuel oil supplier Chimbusco Pan Nation Petro-Chemical (CPN) on Friday (4 July) said it has supplied over 78,000 metric tonnes (mt) of marine biofuel in Hong Kong in the first six months of 2025.

As such, the company said its biofuel volume for the first half of the year exceeded its total biofuel supply for the whole of 2024. 

“This record-breaking achievement highlights our commitment to sustainability and innovation in the maritime industry,” the company said in a social media post. 

“From January to June 2025, our team surpassed last year’s total, proving that dedication and excellence knows no limits—and exceeded 2024 by 80%!”

Manifold Times previously reported CPN setting a record for China’s largest B24 marine biofuel bunkering operation.

CPN delivered 6,300 mt of B24-VLSFO in Hong Kong to container ship XIN LOS ANGELES on 15 May. The supply exceeded CPN’s previous record of 5,500 mt delivered to the same ship in February 2025.

In April, the company also commenced supply of B30 biofuel in Hong Kong. 

Related: Hong Kong: CPN hits new record for China’s largest B24 biofuel bunkering operation
Related: CPN achieves largest B24 bio bunker fuel delivery in Hong Kong and China
Related: Chimbusco Pan Nation launches B30 bio bunker fuel supply in Hong Hong

 

Photo credit: Chimbusco Pan Nation Petro-Chemical
Published: 7 July, 2025

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