Asia/Pacific News
Golden Island Positions Itself as First Mover in Singapore's Methanol Bunkering Market
Bunker supplier Golden Island seeks to lead Singapore's methanol bunkering push by positioning itself as a first mover in the market.
Its bunker tanker, the Golden Antares, arrived in Singapore on August 7, carrying 5,000 mt of ISCC-certified green methanol sourced from Tianjin, China, the firm said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.
After completing port formalities and commissioning its MFM system, Golden Antares will discharge green methanol to the Stolthaven Terminal in Singapore on August 15.
A portion of the methanol will be kept onboard for the acceptance test of the MFM system, ensuring it meets the requirements set by Singapore's Technical Reference for Methanol Bunkering (TR129).
This standard sets out safety and operational requirements for methanol bunkering.
To ensure compliance, Golden Antares is equipped with fixed gas detectors and thermal cameras, while all crew members have completed specialised training on handling methanol as marine fuel through the Singapore Maritime Academy.
"We are proud to be the first mover in pushing methanol as a marine fuel in Singapore," Tomohiro Yamano, General Manager of the Marine Fuel Department at Golden Island, said.
"We have always believed that for short-term to mid-term decarbonisation targets, green methanol has always been one of the best options available for the shipping industry."
Yamano explained that methanol is an attractive marine fuel option because it is liquid at ambient conditions, and easier to store than gases.
The green methanol was supplied by Towngas, with Mitsubishi Corporation acting as the trader for the cargo.
