Singapore's latest regional shipping initiative will support trials that automate bunker data transfers, with a grant call planned for November 2026.[1][2] Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai announced the plans at the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition on 14 October.[1] Licensed bunker craft operators may apply with their technology partners to participate in the second phase of the digital bunkering programme.[1][2]
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore wants to secure and automate the flow of data from mass flow meters to stakeholders and the regulator.[2] The Business Times reports that recipients will include traders and financiers who fund marine fuel purchases.[1] The programme aims to reduce manual data entry and intermediary handling, rather than simply replace paper documents with digital copies.[1][2]
Electronic bunker delivery notes have already been the default documentation for Singapore bunker operations since April 2025.[2] The next phase builds on that system by connecting measurement data to the parties involved in the transaction.[1][2] The November grant call is still ahead, so the announcement does not establish that the selected trials have started.[2]
The digital programme accompanies plans to expand Singapore's marine fuel infrastructure.[1][2] The Business Times reports that LNG bunker sales reached 570,000 tonnes in 2025 and rose 24 percent in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.[1] MPA plans to invite licence applications for LNG floating storage units by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.[2]
Sources: [1] https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/singapore-build-digital-bunkering-data-ecosystem [2] https://www.mpa.gov.sg/media-centre/details/singapore-strengthens-multi-fuel-bunkering-capabilities-and-digitalisation-at-sibcon-2026