Singapore unlikely to start ammonia bunkering this year - MPA

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has pushed back against comments from the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and says Singapore's first ammonia bunker trials are unlikely to happen this year.

PHOTO: Singapore cargo terminal, one of the busiest in the world. Getty Images

GCMD and classification society DNV had earlier concluded that the risks involved in conducting ammonia pilot projects in the Port of Singapore were low or mitigable. They aimed for the first ship-to-ship transfers of ammonia to take place at three sites by the end of the year.

However, the MPA said that more studies need to be conducted to understand the risks of handling ammonia and the impact it will have under various environmental conditions and scenarios.

“Pilots and trials involving the bunkering of new low and zero-emission fuels require comprehensive preparations, including the development of new safety procedures and draft bunkering standards thorough end-to-end operational and other risk assessments, safety audits of bunkering and receiving vessels,” the MPA said.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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