Singapore has completed its first ethanol bunkering operation using around 5,000t of ISCC-certified product, also marking the largest ethanol bunkering conducted globally to date.
Danish shipowner Maersk's dual-fuel container vessel Maersk Halifax successfully bunkered bioethanol at port operator PSA's Pasir Panjang terminal, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) shared on 17 October in a joint press release with Maersk, supplier Golden Island and PSA Singapore.
Golden Island's Singapore-registered IMO Type II chemical tanker Golden Centaurus supplied the bioethanol using a mass flow meter (MFM). The bunkering was carried out simultaneously with cargo operations (SIMOPS).
The ethanol was of Brazilian origin and was supplied into Singapore through Raízen, according to sources close to the matter.
Data gathered from the operation will be used to evaluate whether Singapore's methanol bunkering technical reference, TR 129, could be extended to cover ethanol bunkering. The findings are also expected to inform the suitability of existing MFM systems for future ethanol bunker transfers, given that ethanol has similar handling characteristics to methanol and can be used in methanol-capable engines with the necessary modifications.
The operation highlights growing interest in alcohol-based marine fuels as shipowners seek additional decarbonisation pathways alongside methanol.
Argus last assessed fuel-grade bioethanol cfr Philippines — the most liquid denatured ethanol market in southeast Asia— at $670/m³ ($843.8/t) on 16 October, while biomethanol fob China was assessed at $715/t. Ethanol is priced above biomethanol on a weight basis, but it has a higher energy density, at 26.8 megajoules per kilogramme (MJ/kg) compared with 19.9 MJ/kg for methanol, according to the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF). China has emerged as the biomethanol production and bunkering hub in the region, supplying the lowest-cost volumes to the regional market.
Market participants said the choice of Maersk Halifax is significant because unlike many alternative-fuel vessels entering service today, the ship was not built as a dedicated alternative-fuel newbuild, but was converted from a conventional container vessel into a methanol dual-fuel ship.
Successful ethanol use on the vessel could therefore demonstrate that existing assets can be retrofitted and adapted for a wider range of alcohol fuels, potentially extending vessel lifespans while providing owners with greater fuel flexibility, industry sources said.
The parties conducted hazard identification and hazard and operability studies ahead of the operation, while crews underwent training on fuel handling and emergency response procedures.
MPA said the findings would support the development of standards and procedures for ethanol bunkering as Singapore prepares for a multi-fuel future.
