Singapore has successfully completed its first ethanol bunkering operation at PSA Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Terminal, with approximately 5,000 metric tonnes of ISCC-certified bioethanol supplied to a Maersk container vessel. The operation, conducted by Maersk, Golden Island Pte Ltd and PSA Singapore with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), is the world’s largest single ethanol bunkering operation to date.
The Singapore-registered dual-fuel container vessel Maersk Halifax received the bioethanol from Golden Island’s Singapore-registered IMO Type II chemical tanker Golden Centaurus. The bunkering was carried out using a mass flow meter (MFM) while container cargo operations continued simultaneously, marking a significant milestone in integrating alternative marine fuel operations with regular port activities.
The operation will provide valuable data to assess how Singapore’s existing methanol bunkering technical reference, TR 129, could be adapted for ethanol bunkering. The findings will also help determine whether existing MFM systems can support future ethanol bunkering operations.
Safety was a key priority, with participating parties conducting a Hazard Identification and Hazard and Operability Study workshop before the operation. MPA also worked with stakeholders to ensure crew members were trained in fuel handling and emergency response procedures, drawing on experience gained from methanol bunkering.
MPA Chief Executive Ang Wee Keong said the operation would help Singapore assess how its methanol bunkering experience and existing infrastructure could support emerging marine fuels, enabling the development of standards and procedures for safe and efficient ethanol bunkering.
Maersk, Golden Island and PSA Singapore highlighted the milestone as an important step towards expanding lower-carbon marine fuel options and advancing shipping decarbonisation. The operation reinforces Singapore’s preparations for a multi-fuel maritime future while demonstrating the potential for alternative fuel bunkering to be integrated safely with container terminal operations.