The 24th Singapore International Bunkering Conference, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and themed Charting a Resilient Multi-Fuel Future, opened on October 13, 2026, welcoming more than 2,000 maritime professionals from over 60 countries.
Senior Minister of State Murali Pillai officiated the opening, with a series of initiatives announced across ammonia bunkering, LNG and bio-methane, ethanol, fuel quality assurance, digitalisation and electric harbour craft.
On ammonia bunkering, MPA and Enterprise Singapore launched Technical Reference TR 148, covering safety, bunkering procedures, custody transfer and personnel competencies for ammonia bunkering.
MPA and Pilbara Ports Authority will collaborate under the Singapore-Australia Green and Digital Shipping Corridor to validate the TR through shared operational experience from bunkering trials at both ports.
The Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration also launched the Singapore Ammonia Bunkering Form for public consultation, providing buyers and suppliers a common contracting basis for the evolving ammonia bunkering market, with feedback open until January 14, 2027.
On LNG and bio-methane, MPA will invite licence applications for LNG Floating Storage Units in Singapore anchorages by end-2026 to expand storage capacity following the award of eight new LNG bunker supplier licences in July.
MPA, CMA CGM and Singapore LNG Corporation also signed an MOU to explore liquefied bio-methane as a marine fuel using existing gas infrastructure.
Singapore will conduct its first ethanol bunkering operation at PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal later this week, involving Maersk, Golden Island and PSA Singapore, assessing how existing methanol bunkering standards could be adapted for ethanol and validating mass flow meter use for ethanol operations.
On fuel quality assurance, two new standards were introduced: SS 730:2026 for consistent bunker sampling practices and TR 155:2026 establishing a standardised test method for polymers in residual-based marine fuels.
On digitalisation, Phase 2 of the Digital Bunkering initiative will pursue end-to-end security and automation of bunkering data flow from mass flow meter systems to stakeholders and regulators, with a grant call launching in November 2026 for licensed bunker craft operators and technology partners.
MPA will also launch Bunker Supplier Management System 2.0 in the second quarter of 2027, providing a unified digital platform for bunkering regulatory transactions and licence applications.
An Early Adopter Scheme for Electric Harbour Craft will be introduced from January 1, 2027, offering a two-year grant of up to SGD 250,000 per vessel based on battery capacity and vessel size to catalyse early adoption and develop Singapore’s electric harbour craft ecosystem.
A multi-agency joint oil spill exercise involving Indonesia and Malaysia will be conducted on October 16 to strengthen regional response coordination.
