The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has awarded an LNG bunker supplier licence to Total Marine Fuels for a five-year term starting on 1 January 2022.

Total Marine Fuels will be the port’s third LNG bunker supplier licensees – joining FueLNG and Pavilion Energy Singapore.

As previously reported, the MPA issued a Request for Proposal on 28 October 2020 for parties seeking to supply LNG bunker in the Port of Singapore.

In a statement issued today (26 February), Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, said: ‘As the world’s top bunkering hub, the Port of Singapore is well-positioned to expand its offering of marine fuel solutions. LNG serves as a viable and clean transitional marine fuel to reduce carbon emissions from ships.

‘We welcome Total Marine Fuels Private Limited’s entry into Singapore’s LNG bunker market to bolster the country’s ambition in becoming Asia’s leading LNG bunkering hub. We will continue to work with interested parties to grow the bunkering ecosystem in the Port of Singapore and drive the transition to a more sustainable future.’

Jérôme Leprince-Ringuet, Vice-President, Marine Fuels, Total, commented: ‘We are honoured to be awarded by MPA the licence to supply LNG as a marine fuel in Singapore. This achievement underscores Total’s goal to be a leading LNG bunker supplier globally, and is in line with our climate ambition to get to Net Zero by 2050, together with society.’

Although some in the maritime industry – including the shipping giant Maersk – have some reservations over LNG role as a ‘bridge’ in the energy transition, Leprince-Ringuet restated Total’s belief in the fuel: ‘LNG is the best, immediately available solution to reduce our shipping customers’ carbon footprint and it paves the way towards carbon-neutral bioLNG and synthetic methane. We will continue to ramp up our investments to deliver competitive, reliable and end-to-end LNG bunkering solutions for customers in Singapore and beyond.’