The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is inviting parties interested in supplying methanol as a marine fuel in the city-state to submit their expressions of interest by the end of February.
The EoI exercise aims to gather proposals to achieve end-to-end methanol bunkering solutions in Singapore from 2025, the MPA said on Thursday.
“The goal is to ensure a resilient supply of methanol to meet the international bunkering needs in the Port of Singapore given the expected delivery of methanol-capable vessels in the coming years,” the MPA said.
The EoI focuses on methanol supply sources, a commercial-scale methanol bunkering operation model and alternatives to the physical transfer of methanol molecules to Singapore. This includes mass balancing, a chain-of-custody approach that tracks the sustainable content through the production process and ensures its appropriate allocation in the finished product.
The methanol bunkering operation model includes methanol storage, supply and delivery, quality assurance plans, safe handling and emergency response measures, and the required workforce and expertise for methanol bunkering operations.
“The MPA will assess the viability of various solutions in the proposals received, which will also inform and shape the development of MPA’s methanol bunkering licensing framework,” the MPA said.
“The launch of this EoI marks an important step towards developing a methanol licensing framework to enable the supply of methanol at scale in the Port of Singapore,” MPA chief executive Teo Eng Dih said.
“We look forward to working closely with interested parties on this effort, which will be integral to helping international shipping transit to green energy.”
Earlier this week, Singapore-based liner player X-Press Feeders unveiled the first of 14 methanol dual-fuel container ships it is building in China. The 1,200-teu Eco Maestro will be based in Rotterdam, where a long-term supply of bio-methanol has been secured with Dutch supplier OCI Global.
