MPA expands Singapore's LNG bunkering network with eight new licences

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has awarded eight new licences to supply LNG as a marine fuel in the port from 1 September 2026, expanding the number of authorised suppliers as demand for LNG bunkering grows.

IMAGE: Logistics and transportation of container and cargo ships with a crane in Singapore. Getty Images

The licences have been granted to Aramco Trading Singapore, Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, PetroChina International (Singapore), Shell Eastern Trading, Sinopec Fuel Oil (Singapore), the TotalEnergies Gas & Power Asia (TEGPA)-Sembcorp Fuels (Singapore) joint venture and Vitol Bunkers.

The awards follow MPA’s January call for applications to expand LNG bunkering capacity. Each licence will remain valid for five years, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031, subject to compliance with licensing requirements. Licensees must offer end-to-end LNG bunkering services, covering fuel procurement, storage, cargo transfer and delivery to vessels.

MPA selected the successful applicants based on their supply capabilities, commercial strategies, operational expertise and safety performance. The evaluation also assessed their ability to monitor and reduce methane slip, while supporting the supply of lower lifecycle greenhouse gas alternatives such as liquefied biomethane and e-methane.

The additional licences are expected to boost Singapore’s LNG bunkering capacity, reinforce the supporting supply chain and strengthen the port’s position as a multi-fuel bunkering hub.

Singapore’s LNG bunker sales fell by 22% in June from the multi-year high of 70,000 mt recorded in May. Average daily sales declined by around 400 mt to 1,800 mt/day. Despite the monthly drop, cumulative LNG bunker sales for January–June rose to nearly 318,000 mt, compared with 244,000 mt during the same period last year.

To further enhance the safety and reliability of LNG bunkering, MPA and Enterprise Singapore, through the Singapore Standards Council, will upgrade the existing Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR56) into a Singapore Standard (SS) in August 2026.

The TR56 document specifies the requirements for LNG bunkering in Singapore.

By Tuhin Roy

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