SIBCON 2026: Singapore Bets on Optionality With Ammonia, Ethanol and Digital Bunkering Moves
At the 24th SIBCON, Singapore unveiled an ammonia bunkering standard, its first ethanol bunkering trial and a secure digital data ecosystem for ship fuel transactions.
The 24th Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) opened at Resorts World Sentosa on 13 October 2026 under the theme "Charting a Resilient Multi-Fuel Future". Organised every two years by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the event is expected to draw more than 2,000 maritime professionals from over 60 countries.
No single winning fuel
Opening the main conference, Senior Minister of State Murali Pillai said Singapore "has decided not to bet on a single winning fuel but is instead building optionality", according to OPIS. "Our role is not to pick one winner, but to build capabilities that give industry credible choices," he added.
Ammonia, ethanol and biomethane
MPA and Enterprise Singapore launched Technical Reference 148 for ammonia bunkering, covering safety, bunkering procedures, custody transfer and personnel competencies. Singapore will also carry out its first ethanol bunkering operation this week: a Maersk vessel, supplier Golden Island and PSA Singapore are involved, with around 5,000 mt of ISCC-certified bioethanol to be delivered at Pasir Panjang Terminal — expected to be the largest ethanol bunkering operation to date.
LNG remains the most mature alternative. Singapore sold a record 571,400 mt of LNG bunkers in 2025, and sales in the first eight months of 2026 were up about 23–24% year on year, OPIS reported, citing MPA data.
A digital data ecosystem
As reported by The Business Times, Singapore will build a digital ecosystem that captures bunkering data at source and moves it securely to MPA, traders and financiers, reducing manual handling and giving greater assurance over transaction integrity.
Why it matters
For suppliers and traders active in the port — including Alkagesta, which runs a marine fuel desk in Singapore — the message is that the world's largest bunkering hub intends to stay ready for whichever fuels shipowners choose. See also our bunkering market intelligence hub.
Sources
Sources
- Singapore Strengthens Multi-Fuel Bunkering Capabilities and Digitalisation at SIBCON 2026 — Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
- SIBCON 2026: Singapore Seeks to Strengthen Multi-Fuel Bunkering Capabilities — OPIS
- Singapore to build digital bunkering data ecosystem — The Business Times
Daniel Okoro
Shipping Correspondent
Daniel reports on tanker markets, terminal operations and bunker supply across West Africa and Northwest Europe.
