Singapore – The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is inviting both existing and new applicants to apply for licences to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel at the Port of Singapore.
Licensees will be required to establish comprehensive, end-to-end LNG bunkering supply arrangements, MPA said on Jan 14. These include securing LNG supply, demand planning, cargo transfer operations, storage and the safe handling of LNG, as well as the sale, supply and delivery of LNG fuel to vessels operating in Singapore, one of the world’s leading bunkering ports.
Industry experts note that demand for LNG bunkering has increased significantly in recent years. This growth is driven not only by regulatory requirements to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of marine fuels, but also by the rapid expansion of the LNG dual-fuel fleet—vessels designed to operate on both LNG and conventional marine fuels.
Data from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform shows that 642 LNG-powered vessels were in operation globally in 2025. Of these, 169 vessels were delivered in 2024, marking the highest annual delivery of LNG-powered ships to date.
Demand for LNG bunkering is expected to continue its strong growth trajectory. In 2024, a record 264 new orders for LNG-fuelled vessels were placed—more than double the number recorded in 2023.
Industry experts anticipate that the total addressable market for LNG pathway fuels, including LNG, bio-LNG and e-methane, will expand rapidly by the end of the decade. Leveraging LNG’s established infrastructure, these fuels are increasingly recognised as a practical and scalable pathway to support the shipping industry’s transition towards net-zero emissions.
Singapore’s call for additional licence applications follows recent enhancements to its LNG bunkering licensing framework and standards. These updates include provisions for sea-based LNG reloading, as well as the supply of liquefied bio-methane and e-methane at the Port of Singapore, the port regulator said.
Under the revised framework, MPA stated on Jan 14 that licensees must own or charter at least one LNG bunker vessel (LBV) for the full duration of the licence. The LBV must be registered under the Singapore Registry of Ships and comply with MPA’s Standards for Port Limit LNG Bunker Vessels.
To support international shipping decarbonisation efforts, applicants are also required to submit proposals demonstrating their technical readiness to supply LNG fuels with lower life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, such as liquefied bio-methane and e-methane. These proposals must detail intended supply pathways and sourcing arrangements.
Applicants must further outline measures to monitor and mitigate methane slip—the leakage of methane fuel—from LNG bunker vessels. These measures should address vessel design, operational practices, and monitoring or reporting approaches, and will form part of the licence evaluation process.
In July 2025, MPA conducted a large-scale chemical spill exercise simulating a methanol leak, ahead of the issuance of Singapore’s first methanol bunkering licences in November to Global Energy Trading, Golden Island, and PetroChina International (Singapore).
To further strengthen Singapore’s LNG bunkering ecosystem, MPA and Enterprise Singapore, through the Singapore Standards Council, will upgrade the existing Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR56) to a Singapore Standard (SS) in the second quarter of 2026. The new standard will enhance and align existing requirements with Singapore’s broader bunkering framework and serve as a key reference for LNG bunkering licence applicants.
MPA has also published the Standards for Port Limit LNG Bunker Vessels, developed in consultation with industry stakeholders, to ensure the safe operation of LNG bunker vessels in Singapore. These standards outline requirements covering equipment, operational performance and vessel efficiency.
Singapore’s LNG ecosystem has grown rapidly since the opening of its first LNG terminal in 2013, with LNG becoming the country’s primary fuel for power generation. The first request for proposals for LNG bunkering was launched in July 2015, alongside a co-funding scheme to support the construction of LNG-fuelled vessels.
In May 2021, FueLNG—a joint venture between Keppel and Shell Eastern Petroleum—completed Singapore’s first LNG bunkering operation for an LNG-fuelled oil tanker. Shell has since emerged as a major LNG trading and bunkering player in Singapore following its acquisition of Pavilion Energy from Temasek in April 2025. Other key LNG bunkering providers in Singapore include TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, BP, Vitol and Chevron.
