Shanghai Port's Cumulative LNG Bunker Volumes Surpass 2 Million m3
Key Takeaways
- •Shanghai Port has supplied over 2 million cubic meters of bonded LNG bunker fuel to 355 vessels since launching the service in 2022.
- •The port doubled its cumulative LNG bunkering volume from 1 million to more than 2 million cubic meters within approximately 18 months.
- •Bonded LNG bunkering allows fuel supplied to international vessels to be exempt from import duties at the Lin-gang Special Area.
- •The IMO's revised greenhouse gas strategy targeting net-zero shipping emissions by or around 2050 is accelerating LNG adoption as a marine fuel.
- •Chinese authorities plan to develop Shanghai into an international green marine fuel bunkering and trading hub by 2030 amid growing competition among Asian ports.
Shanghai Port's cumulative bonded LNG (liquefied natural gas) bunker supplies have surpassed 2 million m3, with 355 vessels having bunkered the fuel since the service was introduced in 2022, according to a statement from the Lin-gang Special Area authority.
The milestone underscores the accelerating adoption of LNG as a marine fuel, driven by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) revised greenhouse gas strategy, which targets net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. LNG produces lower CO2 emissions compared with conventional heavy fuel oil, though methane slip during combustion remains a concern.
The most recent bunkering operation involved the supply of 4,549 m3 of LNG to the container ship Kota Eagle, operated by Singapore-based Pacific International Lines (PIL). The vessel received the fuel via a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operation.
Shanghai introduced trial measures for bonded LNG bunkering for international vessels in the Lin-gang Special Area in January 2022. In March of that year, the port carried out China's first ship-to-ship bonded LNG bunkering operation for an international vessel. Bonded status allows fuel supplied to international vessels to be exempt from import duties, aligning with how traditional marine bunker fuels are handled at major ports globally.
Cumulative LNG bunker supplies at the port reached 1 million m3 in early 2025. That figure approximately doubled to more than 2 million m3 within about a year and a half.
Shanghai's growth in LNG bunkering comes as competition intensifies among Asian ports to capture market share in alternative marine fuels. Singapore, the world's largest bunkering port by volume, has also been expanding its LNG and other alternative fuel bunkering capabilities, while ports in South Korea and Japan are developing similar offerings.
Chinese authorities are also working to develop Shanghai into an international green marine fuel bunkering and trading hub by 2030, as part of broader efforts to support the maritime industry's transition toward cleaner alternative fuels.
Source: Ship & Bunker