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Singapore is preparing to add dedicated LNG floating storage units inside its anchorages as marine LNG demand continues to rise. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore announced at SIBCON on October 14 that it will invite applications before the end of 2026 for licences to operate LNG FSUs, subject to regulatory approvals. MPA says the units are intended specifically to expand LNG storage capacity and strengthen supply-chain resilience following the award of eight new LNG bunker-supplier licences in July. Singapore sold a record 0.57 million tonnes of LNG bunker fuel in 2025, and MPA says sales during the first eight months of 2026 were another 24% higher year over year. More recent data reported by Reuters put January-September sales at 487,100 tonnes, still up 21% year over year.
The Next LNG Bunkering Bottleneck Is Moving Upstream
Singapore has spent years adding LNG bunker vessels and suppliers. Its next step is different: putting additional LNG inventory directly on the water so bunker suppliers can reload from floating storage inside the port's anchorage system.
Record annual sales, approximately 1% by mass of Singapore's 56.77 million tonnes of total bunker sales.
Official year-over-year growth rate announced by Singapore's Ministry of Transport at SIBCON.
Additional five-year bunker-supplier licences took effect from September 1, 2026.
MPA plans to invite licence applications for LNG floating storage units in Singapore anchorages.
The Supply Chain Singapore Is Building
Bulk LNG arrives through existing terminal infrastructure and future expanded import capacity.
Floating inventory provides an additional buffer and sea-based reload point closer to bunker operations.
Licensed bunker vessels load LNG and carry it to receiving ships around Singapore.
LNG is delivered ship-to-ship while vessels bunker at anchorage or alongside terminals.
Singapore already has substantial shore-based LNG storage and established bunker vessels, but marine-fuel inventory still competes for terminal scheduling, reloading slots and supply-chain coordination.
An FSU can create another inventory buffer between the import terminal and bunker craft, potentially allowing suppliers to reload at sea and hold marine-dedicated stock closer to where vessels consume it.
This Has Been Building for Two Years
The FSU plan is the latest step in a deliberate transition from a small LNG bunker network toward a layered storage, reload and delivery system capable of supporting much larger fuel volumes.
MPA asks industry for scalable ship-to-bunker-vessel LNG reloading and floating-platform concepts.
Eighteen companies participate, showing commercial interest from suppliers, traders, operators and storage providers.
New licensing framework opens in January; eight new five-year LNG bunker licences are awarded in July.
SLNG begins building a dedicated small/mid-scale reload jetty designed to support 2 Mtpa of bunker reload activity.
MPA moves toward allowing dedicated LNG floating storage units to operate inside Singapore anchorages.
| Infrastructure Layer | Published Scale | Status | Primary Function | Why It Matters for Bunkering | Important Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLNG Shore Storage | 3 × 180,000 m³ + 1 × 260,000 m³ | Operational | National LNG storage, regasification, trading, reload and energy-security functions. | Provides the large-scale physical LNG base from which marine fuel can ultimately be supplied. | The 800,000 m³ total is not dedicated entirely to marine bunkering. |
| Existing LNG Bunker Vessels | Examples include 12,000 m³ Brassavola and FueLNG Bellina. | Operational | Last-mile ship-to-ship LNG delivery. | Allows large ships to bunker while at anchorage or during terminal operations. | Bunker vessels still need efficient places to reload their own LNG cargo. |
| Anchorage FSUs | Capacity not yet announced | Licensing Planned | Floating inventory and potentially sea-based reload support. | Places additional LNG stock close to bunker-vessel operations without waiting for every increment of capacity to be built as a new shore tank. | Exact FSU design, location, transfer arrangements and licensing requirements remain unpublished. |
| SLNG Jetty 3 | 5,800-80,000 m³ vessels / ~2 Mtpa reload demand | 2H 2028 | Dedicated small- and mid-scale LNG vessel loading/reloading. | Adds fixed shore infrastructure specifically aimed at LNG bunkering and break-bulk flows. | Construction is only now beginning and completion is targeted for the second half of 2028. |
| Second Singapore LNG Terminal | 204,000 m³ FSRU / 5 Mtpa regasification | By End-Decade | National gas-import and energy-security capacity. | Expands the overall LNG ecosystem and adds another major floating LNG asset. | This FSRU is an energy-import terminal, not the same project as the bunker FSUs announced by MPA. |
Singapore already has 800,000 m³ of LNG storage at Jurong Island, but that terminal primarily serves national gas supply and other LNG businesses rather than functioning as a bunker-only depot.
A dedicated FSU can hold marine-oriented inventory closer to bunker craft, potentially reducing dependence on a single sequence of shore-terminal reload slots.
The eight new bunker suppliers expand competition and delivery capacity, but their bunker vessels become more useful only if upstream LNG can be loaded and repositioned efficiently.
Singapore Is Building the Same Framework Across Multiple Fuels
FSU licences plus an MPA-CMA CGM-SLNG initiative examining use of existing gas infrastructure for liquefied biomethane.
New TR 148 covers custody transfer, safety, operational procedures and personnel competency.
Singapore's first operation is scheduled at Pasir Panjang with bunkering carried out during simultaneous cargo handling.
Commercial operations and a technical framework are already established, giving Singapore another mature alternative-fuel pathway.
Singapore LNG Floating Storage Scenario Model
MPA has not announced an FSU size. This model tests illustrative 12,000, 20,000 and 40,000 m³ storage cases against Singapore's current LNG bunker-sales pace.
FSU Inventory Versus Current Singapore LNG Bunker Demand
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