Singapore Awards Eight New LNG Bunkering Licences to Bolster Multi-Fuel Bunkering Hub

31 July 2026

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has announced that it will issue eight new licences for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel in Singapore, effective from 1 September 2026. The move is designed to expand the country's LNG bunkering capacity, strengthen the supporting ecosystem to address rising demand, and reinforce Singapore's position as a multi-fuel bunkering hub. Singapore has long been the world's largest bunkering port by volume, and the licensing expansion comes as shipowners increasingly adopt LNG-fuelled vessels to meet the International Maritime Organization's greenhouse gas reduction targets, which include achieving net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050.

The licences will be awarded to the following companies:

• Aramco Trading Singapore
• Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services
• ExxonMobil Asia Pacific
• PetroChina International (Singapore)
• Shell Eastern Trading
• Sinopec Fuel Oil (Singapore)
• TotalEnergies Gas & Power Asia (TEGPA)–Sembcorp Fuels (Singapore) Joint Venture
• Vitol Bunkers (S)

The eight successful applicants were selected through an evaluation process that assessed supply capabilities, commercial plans, operational experience, and safety standards. The evaluation also weighed each applicant's ability to monitor and mitigate methane slip, as well as their capacity to support the supply of lower-lifecycle-greenhouse-gas methane-based alternatives, including liquefied bio-methane and e-methane. Methane slip — the release of unburned methane during engine combustion — is a key concern for LNG-fuelled shipping because methane is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over shorter time horizons, which is why MPA's evaluation criteria explicitly address monitoring and mitigation capabilities.

Each licence will be valid for five years, running from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031, contingent on licensees continuing to meet all relevant licensing conditions. Licensees are required to deliver end-to-end LNG bunkering services, encompassing fuel supply, storage, cargo transfer, and delivery to vessels. The issuance of these licences concludes the Call for Applications that was launched on 14 January 2026.

In a parallel effort to strengthen safe and reliable LNG bunkering operations, MPA and Enterprise Singapore, working through the Singapore Standards Council, will upgrade the existing Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR56) into a full Singapore Standard (SS) in August 2026. The upgraded standard will bolster safety requirements, bunkering procedures, custody transfer protocols, and crew competencies, serving as a common industry reference for LNG bunkering operations in Singapore. MPA said the new SS will further enhance Singapore's LNG bunkering ecosystem and reinforce the port city's standing as a trusted bunkering hub. Singapore has also been developing bunkering operational frameworks for other alternative marine fuels, including methanol and ammonia, as part of its broader multi-fuel hub strategy.

Source: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore