Alternative Fuels

Singapore hosts world’s first bulk liquefied hydrogen carrier “Suiso Frontier”

Vessel visit has helped to support further feasibility studies and preparations for deep-sea transportation and receipt of liquefied alternative fuels, says Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA.

Published

2 years ago

September 12, 2023

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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Monday (11 September) said Singapore welcomed the world’s first bulk liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, on 31 August 2023.

The Shell-operated vessel was berthed at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore on Pulau Bukom from 1 September to 7 September 2023.

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Acting Minister for Transport, Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), and key representatives from various government agencies and industry partners were hosted to separate visits onboard Suiso Frontier during her stay in Singapore. The visitors were briefed on the design and safety features of the vessel.

for web aerial shot of suiso frontier credit hystra

Designed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), Suiso Frontier, is operated by Shell under the CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA) project funded by the Japanese government and various partners. The vessel can carry up to 1,250 cubic metres of liquefied hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius in the state-of-the-art storage tank.

The vessel completed its maiden voyage between Australia and Japan in February 2022 and, after a refit period, is now in the next phase of the demonstration which aims to assess performance, reliability, and integrity of the vessel’s system through more load-unload cycles as well as provide more operational experience.

Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, said, “Singapore announced our National Hydrogen Strategy in late 2022. The properties of hydrogen, and its potential to be produced at scale using renewable sources, makes hydrogen a potential fuel to support the energy transition to a low and zero carbon future.”

“MPA is actively studying the use of hydrogen and its carriers as a marine fuel and welcomes the collaboration with industry players such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Shell, as well as our work with our research community such as the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, to bring the Suiso Frontier to Singapore. This vessel visit has helped to inform the development of safety and operational procedures, and also support further feasibility studies and preparations for the deep-sea transportation and receipt of liquefied alternative fuels.”

Mr Shigeru Yamamoto, Executive Officer Deputy General Manager, Hydrogen Strategy Division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., said, “We strongly believe that an international supply chain of liquefied hydrogen by marine transportation is essential to realise a carbon-neutral world. The world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, showed to the world that cryogenic liquefied hydrogen can be transported by ship. We are confident that liquefied hydrogen will attract even more attention from around the world in the future.”

Mr Nick Potter, General Manager of Shell Shipping and Maritime for Asia Pacific and the Middle East, said, “Transportation through deep-sea shipping is one of the critical steps essential for unlocking the use of hydrogen as a future zero carbon fuel. The Suiso Frontier represents a key milestone in demonstrating the technical feasibility of liquefied hydrogen shipping and Shell’s maritime leadership in this area. Shell also remains committed to the safe and efficient operations of the vessel.”

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 12 September, 2023

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Methanol

Chimbusco completes bunkering op of China’s first 16,000K TEU methanol DF boxship

“COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU” was supplied approximately 900 metric tonnes of methanol marine fuel by Chimbusco in Shanghai on 11 May.

Published

11 hours ago

May 23, 2025

Admin

Chimbusco completes bunkering of China’s first 16,000K TEU methanol DF boxship

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co Ltd (Chimbusco) completed a bunkering operation of the first domestically manufactured methanol dual-fuel container ship in Shanghai on 11 May, according to COSCO Shipping on Thursday (15 May).

COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU was supplied approximately 900 metric tonnes (mt) of methanol marine fuel by Chimbusco at Pier 1 of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry.

The operation started on 7 May but was postponed due to unfavourable weather from the Jianghuai Cyclone.

Chimbusco completes bunkering of China’s first 16,000K TEU methanol DF boxship

COSCO Shipping said the operation marked an important achievement in green and low-carbon transformation in shipping, from ship construction and ecological layout of the entire green fuel industry chain of the company.

Manifold Times previously reported the naming ceremony of China’s first 16,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship, COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU in Yangzhou.

The methanol dual-fuel container ship named was the first in a series of vessels from COSCO Shipping Holdings, constructed by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Yangzhou.

Photo credit: Cosco Shipping
Published: 23 May, 2025

LNG Bunkering

Shell wraps up its first LNG bunkering operation for TUI Cruises in Barcelona

Milestone was achieved by Shell’s LNG bunker barge “Haugesund Knutsen” supplying the “Mein Schiff Relax” cruise ship at Port of Barcelona, says Dexter Belmar of Shell.

Published

12 hours ago

May 23, 2025

Admin

Shell wraps up its first LNG bunkering operation for TUI Cruises in Barcelona

Energy giant Shell recently conducted its first LNG bunkering operation for TUI Cruises in Barcelona, according to Dexter Belmar, General Manager and Head of Global Downstream LNG on Thursday (22 May).

He said the milestone was achieved by Shell’s LNG bunker barge Haugesund Knutsen supplying the Mein Schiff Relax cruise ship.

“Barcelona, one of Europe and the Mediterranean’s leading cruise ports, is also a key LNG bunkering location for Shell as we help more cruise ships transition to lower-emission fuels,” he said in a social media post.

“A huge thank you to Royal Caribbean Group for their trust, and to Knutsen and Port of Barcelona for their collaboration in making this bunkering safe and efficient.”

Shell wraps up its first LNG bunkering operation for TUI Cruises in Barcelona

Belmar said LNG is leading the way as the preferred alternative bunker fuel in the cruise industry.

“At Shell, we’re proud to support LNG fuelling needs at 26 locations worldwide, including major cruise ports like Bahamas, Barcelona, Canaveral, Everglades, Jamaica, Miami, Singapore, Southampton, and Tenerife,” he added.

Photo credit: Shell
Published: 23 May, 2025

LNG Bunkering

IGU report: Global LNG bunkering fleet grows to 56 operational vessels by 2024

LNG bunkering fleet is concentrated in Europe with the highest capacity of operational bunkering vessels, followed by Asia/Asia Pacific and North America, according to 2025 World LNG report by IGU.

Published

12 hours ago

May 23, 2025

Admin

IGU report: Global LNG bunkering fleet grows to 56 operational vessels by 2024

The global operational LNG bunkering and bunkering-capable small-scale vessel fleet reached 56 units at the end of December 2024 with further support from expanding infrastructure and regulatory drivers such as the IMO’s ban of heavy fuel oil in Arctic shipping and the EU’s FuelEU Maritime regulation.

This was nine more vessels than in 2023, with a total added capacity of 82,900 cubic metres (m3).

This was one of the major highlights in the 2025 World LNG report by the International Gas Union (ICU), which was launched at the 29th World Gas Conference (WGC2025) in Beijing on Thursday (22 May).

IGU report: Global LNG bunkering fleet grows to 56 operational vessels by 2024

The LNG bunkering fleet is concentrated in Europe with the highest capacity of operational bunkering vessels. This is followed by Asia/Asia Pacific and then North America, both of which have seen rapid expansions in the past five years.

As of the end of 2024, Europe has the highest bunkering capacity, with a total of 190,757 cm across 25 vessels currently in operation within the region.

Asia/Asia Pacific has the second-highest bunkering capacity, with a total of 179,700 m3 across 17 vessels in operation. From that, China currently has five operational LNG bunkering vessels while South Korea currently provides STS bunkering services with four bunkering vessels. Singapore currently has three bunkering vessels in operation.

North America continued its progress toward becoming a significant region in the LNG bunkering market in 2024, reaching a total capacity of 86,400 m3 across 10 operational vessels by year-end.

The report noted: “2024 was a significant year for LNG bunkering. Bunker users were quick to capture the reductions in both fuel costs and carbon emissions from using LNG, taking advantage of lower LNG prices relative to other marine fuels in 2024. Lower prices and an emerging LNG-fuelled fleet were catalysts in the large uptake in LNG bunker volumes.”

The Port of Singapore, which is the largest bunkering port in the world, recorded 463,900 tonnes of LNG bunkered in 2024, almost four times the 110,900 tonnes in 2023. The Port of Rotterdam, the second-largest bunkering port in the world, also recorded a 52% increase in bunkered LNG, from 620,000 cm in 2023 to 941,366 cm in 2024.”

IGU also said the newcomer in STS LNG bunkering is the Middle East with the LNG bunkering vessel Green Zeebrugge.

“The ship moved at the end of 2024 to Dubai and has performed the first ever LNG bunkering in the Middle East. This area is identified as a potential new LNG bunkering hub with Oman, the UAE, and Qatar as the main bunkering locations.”

Note: The ‘2025 World LNG Report’ can be downloaded here.

Photo credit: International Gas Union
Published: 23 May, 2025