Bunkering: The World's Largest Bunkering Port: summary
Singapore owes its position as the world’s largest bunkering port, with record sales of 56.77 million tonnes in 2025, to its location on the Strait of Malacca, to the refineries, storage terminals and traders that supply fuel, and to a regulatory regime that gives buyers confidence in the quantity and quality of what they receive. The Maritime and Port Authority licenses bunker suppliers, tanker operators, tankers and surveyors, requires capital, quality management under SS 524 and modern tankers, and monitors performance through a points system backed by the threat of suspension and revocation. Short delivery, meter tampering, theft, collusion and contamination have been the main risks, which the MPA has answered with mandatory mass flow meters from 2017, electronic delivery notes from 2025, extensive testing and sanctions such as the revocation of Southernpec’s licence in 2019 and the suspension of Glencore’s licence in 2022. The port is preparing for the decarbonisation of shipping by licensing suppliers of biofuel blends, LNG and methanol and by preparing for ammonia, although global demand for these fuels depends on IMO rules whose adoption was still pending in September 2026. Bunker disputes arise mainly from contract chains with intermediaries, from the insolvency of suppliers and traders such as OW Bunker and Hin Leong, and from quality and quantity claims, which Singapore’s courts and arbitral institutions resolve under an admiralty jurisdiction that allows the arrest of ships but recognises no maritime lien for bunker suppliers.
For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.