Singapore and Qingdao plan methanol bunker pilots for direct route
The ports will also study pooling methanol bunker demand under the Singapore-China green shipping corridor.
IMAGE: Logistics and transportation of container and cargo ships with a crane in Singapore. Getty Images
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Qingdao Port, part of Shandong Port Group, have signed a work plan to explore pilot and demonstration projects that bunker ships on direct Singapore-Qingdao routes with methanol and other zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission fuels. A timeline on when the pilots are to start has not been specified.
The two sides will also study how to pool methanol bunker demand and share know-how on bunker standards and operating procedures.
Qingdao hosted its first methanol bunkering in August 2025, when the container ship Cosco Shipping Carnation took 200 mt. The 24,000-TEU OOCL Wisdom then received 1,500 mt of green methanol ship-to-ship at the port in July.
On the Singapore side, PetroChina Singapore took delivery in October of Vanda Pioneer, a bunker vessel that can carry methanol and 100% biofuel (B100).
The work plan puts into practice the Singapore-China corridor, which the two governments agreed in October 2025 without specifying fuels, and the Singapore-Shandong corridor. The ports will also exchange ship event data over digital systems MPA already runs, to see arrivals earlier and plan berths.
By Tuhin Roy
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