en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will issue eight new five-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering licenses starting September 1, expanding its pool of LNG bunker suppliers.

The selected companies include Aramco Trading Singapore, Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, PetroChina International Singapore, Shell Eastern Trading, Sinopec Fuel Oil Singapore, Vitol Bunkers, as well as a joint venture between TotalEnergies Gas & Power Asia and Sembcorp Fuels.

The new licenses are valid until August 31, 2031, while existing licenses remain valid until the end of this year. Licensees are required to provide end-to-end bunkering services covering LNG supply, storage, cargo transfer, and delivery to vessels. The evaluation also assessed bidders' capabilities in controlling methane slip and supplying low-carbon methane-based fuels, including liquefied biomethane and e-methane.

Singapore will also upgrade its current LNG bunkering technical reference to a full national standard in August, with the new edition covering safety, cargo transfer, operational procedures, and crew competency. This expansion comes against the backdrop of Singapore's record total marine fuel sales of 56.77 million tonnes in 2025, with alternative fuel sales growing 44% to 1.95 million tonnes; the port is developing separate supply frameworks for LNG, methanol, and subsequently ammonia.

Several selected companies have already positioned additional capacity ahead of time. Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services has ordered a 20,000-cubic-meter LNG bunkering vessel from CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering; Shell has chartered two 18,900-cubic-meter newbuild vessels from Purus Marine, expected for delivery in 2028 and to be deployed at hub ports including Singapore.