Singapore’s existing large harbour craft can switch to B100 biodiesel without major operational disruption if fuel-handling, storage and additive requirements are met, according to the Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD).
Laboratory testing and sea trials involving a tugboat and a bunker tanker found stable engine performance across 200 hours of operation, with no significant loss of power, abnormal fuel-consumption trends or critical operational disruptions.
B100 delivered brake thermal efficiency comparable with conventional diesel, while carbon monoxide and particulate matter emissions were lower. Tests recorded a modest increase in nitrogen oxide emissions. Antioxidant additives improved oxidation stability and reduced the risk of degradation during storage.
MESD concluded that the results demonstrate the “qualified readiness” of Singapore’s existing large harbour craft for B100 rather than unconditional compatibility.
The findings put an existing-vessel option alongside Singapore’s requirements for new harbour craft. From 2030, all new harbour craft operating in the Port of Singapore must be fully electric, capable of using B100 or compatible with net-zero fuels such as hydrogen.
The country is targeting net-zero emissions from its harbour craft, pleasure craft and tugboat sectors by 2050. The work follows MESD’s separate FAME 1000 programme. The 16-metre President 100 completed a 1,000-hour B100 operational trial after entering service in July 2025. The programme gathered data on engine condition, fuel and lubricating-oil performance, energy efficiency and emissions under operating conditions. A public FAME 1000 report is expected later in 2026.
MESD is a maritime research centre at Nanyang Technological University, launched in October 2017 and jointly funded by the university and the Singapore Maritime Institute. Singapore-based KST Maritime Pte Ltd and V-Bunkers Tankers participated in the B100 readiness study alongside Alpha Biofuels, Aderco, Maritec Naias and Japan’s IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. Pinnacle Marine built the 16-metre President 100 used in the separate FAME 1000 programme, while Prestige Ocean Pte Ltd operates the vessel.