Singapore has carried out its first bunkering operation governed by the recently issued TR129 standard, completing a methanol transfer between the MT Kara and the container ship Antonio Maersk on 28 November.
The trial was organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore alongside Global Energy Trading and Stellar Shipmanagement.
It served as the first live demonstration of how TR129’s requirements for safe handling, custody transfer and measurement of methanol apply during an actual bunker delivery.
Ahead of the operation, the Kara’s mass flow meter underwent checks to confirm it met the technical criteria set out in the standard. The transfer itself took place after sunset, with enhanced safety controls in place. These included continuous weather tracking by the bunker tanker and MPA patrol craft equipped with portable lightning-detection systems.
The exercise comes as MPA prepares for wider methanol uptake, having recently granted three licences that allow methanol bunker supply from January 2026.
The successful trial adds another building block to Singapore’s efforts to establish a regulated, scalable framework for alternative fuels.
