Ammonia Could Make Up 4% of Singapore's Marine Fuel Demand by 2035: GCMD

GCMD estimates that Singapore will need up to 2 million mt/year of ammonia by mid 2030s. File Image / Pixabay

Ammonia could account for up to 4% of Singapore's total bunker fuel demand by 2035, according to the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD).

GCMD estimates that Singapore would need to secure around 2 million mt/year of ammonia by the mid-2030s, it said in a new report released this month. 

At least one bunker barge with a capacity of about 15,000 m3 would also be needed to support the demand. 

The projections form part of a GCMD's wider assessment into the feasibility of ship-to-ship ammonia transfers in Singapore's port waters, which it says could act as a precursor to commercial-scale bunkering before dedicated ammonia bunker vessels become available.

It builds on earlier work completed in 2023 and follows GCMD's first ship-to-ship liquid ammonia transfer trial in Western Australia in 2024. 

The study sees that ammonia transfers are technically and operationally feasible in Singapore's port waters if conservative safety zones, enhanced detection systems and strong emergency preparedness measures are put in place.

"Overall, this report confirms that ammonia transfer operations serving as a precursor to commercial-scale bunkering can be safely executed within Singapore's anchorage environment provided that conservative operating envelopes, rigorous procedural discipline, and effective inter-agency coordination are maintained," the report states. 

Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, has already taken steps to prepare for ammonia as a marine fuel.

In 2024, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore supported the operation of the Singapore-flagged Fortescue Green Pioneer on ammonia and diesel, the first such use globally, and helped develop interim IMO safety guidelines adopted in December 2024.

National ammonia bunkering standards are due by early 2026.

Itochu, along with MOL, plans to demonstrate ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering in Singapore using its 5,000 m3 bunker vessel in 2027.

The report can be downloaded from here.