Singapore delivered its strongest port performance on record in 2025, with growth across marine fuel sales, container handling and vessel traffic, according to figures released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Marine fuel sales reached 56.77 million tonnes during the year, an increase of 3.4% compared with 2024. Consumption of alternative marine fuels continued to rise, climbing to 1.95 million tonnes from 1.35 million tonnes a year earlier.

Container throughput also set a new high, reaching 44.66 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 8.6% year on year. Vessel arrivals totalled 3.22 billion gross tonnage (GT), representing a 3.5% increase from 2024.

The figures were announced by Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai at the Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.

Singapore was named the world’s leading container port in DNV-Menon’s inaugural Leading Container Ports of the World report. The port was also recognised as Best Global Seaport for the fourth time and Best Seaport in Asia for the 37th time at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards in 2025.

Preparing for a multi-fuel future

MPA said it will open applications for new LNG bunker supply licences on 14 January 2026 to support growing industry demand. At the same time, it will introduce Standards for Port Limit LNG Bunker Vessels, setting requirements covering equipment, operational performance and efficiency.

Working with Enterprise Singapore through the Singapore Standards Council, MPA plans to upgrade the existing Technical Reference for LNG bunkering (TR56) to a Singapore Standard in the second quarter of 2026. The authority will also publish Singapore’s first Technical Reference for ammonia bunkering during the same period.

In 2025, Singapore awarded three methanol bunkering licences and appointed a consortium led by Keppel Ltd to carry out front-end engineering design studies for ammonia power generation and bunkering.

Singapore also expanded its network of Green and Digital Shipping Corridors during the year, adding new corridors with India and the Republic of Korea and elevating the corridor with China to national level. This brought the total number of corridors to nine. Planned activities for 2026 include fuel trials, common emissions-reporting frameworks and enhanced digital data exchange.

Digital bunkering and registry growth

All bunker suppliers in Singapore had adopted digital bunkering by August 2025, enabling electronic bunker delivery note verification and streamlining transaction processes. MPA said the initiative is saving up to 40,000 man-days annually in administrative effort.

The Singapore Registry of Ships closed 2025 with a record 137.46 million GT, an increase of around 27% from the previous year, making it the world’s fourth-largest ship registry. Thirty-four Green Ship Certificates were issued during the year, while five methanol-fuelled vessels have been registered since 2020. MPA expects the registry to include its first ammonia dual-fuelled vessel within the next two years.

International maritime centre activity

Thirty-five maritime companies opened or expanded operations in Singapore during 2025, bringing the total number of international shipping groups based in the city-state to more than 200. MPA estimates that key maritime firms contributed approximately S$5 billion in annual business spending.

Singapore was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization for the 17th time and secured a seat on the Council of the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation for the 2025–2027 term.

Looking ahead, MPA said global seaborne trade is expected to grow in 2026, particularly in commodity sectors where supply diversification and route changes are increasing shipping demand, despite ongoing geopolitical and trade-related uncertainties.