FueLNG wraps up Singapore’s first oil tanker LNG bunkering

FueLNG, together with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), has completed Singapore’s first bunkering of an LNG-fuelled oil tanker.

FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum, completed the gas-up and cool down operation for the LNG-powered oil tanker Pacific Emerald.

The company said in its statement that it also transferred 3,000 cubic meters of LNG from FueLNG Bellina, Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel.

Pacific Emerald is the first of 10 newbuild Aframax tankers chartered by Shell Tankers Singapore from Sinokor Petrochemical.

FueLNG is committed to promoting the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel and has been working closely with partners including MPA to boost the growth of Singapore as a global LNG bunkering hub, the statement reads.

Commenting on the operation, Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of MPA, said, “Singapore is pleased to have carried out the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering for an oil tanker in the Port of Singapore. Today marks another milestone in Singapore’s journey as an LNG bunkering hub. We see increased interest in LNG-fuelled vessels with more of such new vessels on order across various ship types. We look forward to an increase in uptake of LNG as a marine fuel in the Port of Singapore.”

This milestone follows the completion of Asia’s first ship-to-containership LNG bunkering operation by FueLNG in March 2021.

FueLNG aims to provide a total of about 30 to 50 ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operations in 2021. Besides the Aframax tankers, FueLNG has also lined up bunkering operations for containerships, chemical oil tankers, and bulk carriers.

Currently, LNG is an immediately available fuel solution that can reduce the environmental impact of maritime transport. The use of LNG as a marine fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 23 per cent on a well-to-wake basis, compared to current oil-based marine fuels.