Japanese shipowner Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and FueLNG, a joint venture between Shell and Singapore's Keppel Offshore and Marine, have completed ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering in Singapore.
FueLNG's 7,500m³ FueLNG Bellina, Singapore's first LNG bunkering vessel, supplied LNG as a marine fuel to NYK's 72,800 gross tonne car carrier Jasmine Leader on 8 March. The car carrier was launched in February as NYK's third LNG-fuelled vessel.
The first Singapore LNG bunkering barge commenced operations in 2021 and was co-funded by an MPA grant. Singapore's second LNG bunkering ship — the 12,000m³ Brassavola — is planned to start operations sometime after April. It is owned by Japanese shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines and will be chartered by Pavilion and TotalEnergies.
Singapore sold 16,000t of LNG for bunkering in 2022, down by 68pc from 50,000t in 2021. Demand dropped as LNG prices increased last year.
NYK is targeting to operate 20 LNG-fuelled car carriers by March 2029. The firm launched its first LNG-fuelled car carrier Sakura Leader in October 2020, which was followed by the Plumeria Leader in March 2022. The 3,500m³ LNG bunkering vessel Kaguya supplies LNG to the three LNG-powered ships by STS operations in Japan's central Ise/Mikawa bay.
