Singapore-based bunker supplier Golden Island Pte Ltd has completed Singapore’s first methanol bunkering operation following the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) award of methanol bunkering licences, effective 1 January 2026.
Golden Island was one of three companies selected after an evaluation covering supply chain reliability, operational readiness and methanol safety systems.
The operation took place on 20 January, when the Singapore-flagged dry bulk carrier Brave Pioneer received 300 mt of methanol from the bunker tanker Golden Antares in a ship-to-ship transfer.
Brave Pioneer is owned by Mitsui & Co., a Japan-based trading and investment group, and chartered by Cargill, a US-based commodities and logistics company. The vessel is a dual-fuel newbuilding capable of operating on both conventional marine fuels and methanol.
Golden Island said the bunkering was conducted in compliance with Singapore’s TR129 standard, which sets out requirements for the handling, transfer and measurement of methanol as a marine fuel, including ship-to-ship operations.
The company had also completed mass flow metering tests on board its bunker tanker ahead of the delivery.
The milestone supports Singapore’s strategy to establish itself as a sustainable, multi-fuel bunkering hub as alternative marine fuels gain traction.
