Tanya Weaver Tue 25 Nov 2025
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/11/25/singapore-issue-licences-methanol-ship-refuelling-2026
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will issue licences from 1 January 2026 for companies to supply methanol as a marine fuel.
The first three companies to be granted methanol bunkering licences in Singapore are Global Energy Trading, Golden Island, and PetroChina International (Singapore).
The MPA said that this step marked “an important step towards establishing methanol bunkering at scale and driving Singapore’s ambition to be a sustainable multi-fuel bunkering hub”.
Singapore experiences high volumes of ships requiring refuelling because of its strategic location on a major shipping lane between Asia and Europe or the Middle East. According to the MPA, the port of Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering port, having supplied 54.92 million tonnes of marine fuel in 2024.
However, marine fuels contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Global shipping is estimated to be responsible for around 3% of worldwide emissions and, with global trade predicted to quadruple by 2050, these emissions will increase rapidly without urgent action.
Methanol is considered one of the major contenders as a green shipping fuel. If it is produced using electricity from renewable energies (known as green methanol), its operation is CO2-neutral. And unlike, other sustainable fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, methanol is biodegradable and easy to store, and causes fewer pollutants.
Use of methanol is expected to increase as ports like Singapore begin offering methanol bunkering licences. The MPA said it awarded the three companies licences following a “comprehensive evaluation process that assessed supply chain reliability, operational readiness, safety systems, and the sustainability certification of the methanol to be supplied”.
“The strong interest reflects the sector’s growing focus on lower-emission marine fuels,” it said.
The licences will be valid for five years until 31 December 2030 to provide the three companies with “sufficient scope to build capabilities, strengthen supply chains and anchor initial investments as the market develops”.
In October 2025, Rolls-Royce announced it had successfully tested the ‘world’s first’ high-speed marine engine that runs entirely on methanol.
Other technologies to cut carbon emissions on long-range shipping are being investigated. For instance, UK firm Anemoi Marine Technologies is looking at fitting rotor sails on large cargo ships.
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