PetroChina Completes First LNG Bunkering Operation in Singapore and Adds Methanol Vessel

PetroChina International, the trading arm of the Chinese state-owned oil company, carried out its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation for a vessel in Singapore on October 15, according to the company's president, Wu Junli. The operation expands the range of alternative fuels the company can offer shipowners in the world's leading bunkering port. PetroChina is one of eight companies to receive LNG bunkering licenses from the Singapore government and is also authorized to supply methanol to vessels.

In parallel, PetroChina completed the acquisition of a methanol bunkering vessel. According to Xinde Marine News, on October 14 SPC Shipping, a subsidiary of PetroChina International (Singapore), signed an agreement with the Italian group Fratelli Cosulich to add a newly built dual-fuel methanol-powered vessel. The ship, named Vanda Pioneer in a ceremony held on October 16 at Jurong Port Universal Terminal, is an IMO Type II tanker of 7,999 deadweight tonnes and 114.99 meters in length overall, built at a Chinese shipyard, and became the company's third own vessel in Singapore, capable of carrying and supplying methanol, biodiesel and conventional marine fuels.

According to Xinde Marine News, the October 15 LNG bunkering operation involved fueling two COSCO SHIPPING vessels, the Zhenguan Kou and the Hanjiang Kou, using the chartered LNG bunkering vessel Paolina. The supply took place after PetroChina obtained an LNG bunkering license issued by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), effective from September 1, 2026.

Speaking at the Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON 2026), Wu Junli cited Clarksons data showing that global orders for vessels powered by alternative fuels were approaching 2,000 units by the end of 2025, with more than 1,200 of those being LNG-fueled ships, while methanol is growing rapidly and ammonia is beginning to gain traction. However, he warned that infrastructure for these emerging fuels is lagging behind fleet development: there are fewer than 50 ports worldwide with operational or planned methanol bunkering facilities, compared with 220 ports equipped for LNG bunkering.

PetroChina accounted for around 10% of bunker sales in Singapore last year, in a market that exceeded 56 million tonnes. Globally, the company sold 7.95 million tonnes of marine fuel and is able to supply 18 ports using 16 time-chartered vessels. Last year the company completed its first commercial LNG bunkering operation in Europe and obtained certification to supply methanol in Rotterdam, Netherlands, while China has the capacity to produce 380,000 tonnes of green methanol annually.