Singapore has completed a landmark ammonia bunkering pilot, becoming the first major port to confirm that ship-to-ship ammonia fuel transfers are technically and operationally feasible under real regulatory and traffic conditions. The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, a Singapore-based non-profit backed by government and industry, led the program, executing four transfers across four vessels within port waters and validating ammonia handling protocols comparable to LNG. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and ITOCHU now plan to deploy a 5,000 m³ ammonia bunker vessel, targeting first commercial operations in Singapore by 2027.

For investors in gas shipping, this clears a key hurdle for VLGCs and LPG carriers to play a central role in the ammonia fuel chain. Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering hub, and early regulatory approval positions it as a launchpad for scalable ammonia uptake. According to the GCMD, ammonia could supply around 4% of Singapore’s marine fuel demand by 2035 – about 2 million tonnes per year – creating long-term upside for retrofitted or dual-use VLGCs across both commodity transport and clean fuel delivery.