At 4:00 AM on July 25, the "Hai Gang Wei Lai" LNG bunkering vessel successfully completed a bonded liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling operation for the Singapore-flagged "Eagle City" vessel at the Lvhuashan anchorage in the East China Sea.
The volume of this single bunkering operation was 4,549 cubic meters. Since the first bonded LNG ship-to-ship bunkering service for international voyages was launched at Shanghai Port on March 15, 2022, the port has completed a cumulative total of 355 such operations, exceeding 2 million cubic meters in total volume.
This achievement represents a significant progression from the initial pilot project to routine operations, and from single-point service at the Yangshan port area to coverage across the entire Shanghai Port and even extending to offshore anchorage supply scenarios. The 2-million-cubic-meter milestone is not just a numerical leap; it reflects the continuous evolution and maturity of Shanghai Port's green shipping service system, marking the city's established capability for large-scale, standardized clean energy bunkering.
The steady growth of LNG bunkering operations relies on a highly efficient and coordinated operational framework. The Production Business Department and Safety Supervision Department of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. provide overall planning and meticulous control, continuously optimizing the production organization model and ensuring safety responsibilities are met throughout the entire process.
Individual terminal operators precisely schedule vessel arrivals and departures, seamlessly integrating cargo handling with bunkering operations. The Pilot Station scientifically manages vessel traffic routes, while Fuxing Shipping Co., Ltd. oversees on-site operations and provides comprehensive support services. This multi-link, close coordination builds a standardized, professional, and regulated bunkering operation chain, guaranteeing the safety and efficiency of every single operation.
Large-scale development is underpinned by robust storage and transportation infrastructure. The Yangshan LNG terminal has completed a dock modification, adding new berthing dolphins and fenders, enabling the terminal to function for both LNG carrier discharge and reverse loading. In response to rapid business growth, the terminal has continuously expanded its capacity, increasing its reverse loading rate tenfold compared to its initial phase. This has effectively created a highly efficient and convenient "offshore refueling station" for ocean-going vessels, further solidifying Shanghai Port's first-mover advantage and leading position in the clean energy bunkering sector.
The rapid development of green shipping is also attributed to the continuous optimization of the port's business environment. Relevant municipal government departments, along with port inspection authorities including border control, customs, and maritime affairs, have focused on the industry's development challenges.
These entities have explored breakthroughs in areas such as policy innovation, safety regulation, customs clearance facilitation, foreign vessel alongside operations, fuel bunkering, and cross-departmental collaboration. Through institutional innovation, process re-engineering, and enhanced regulatory efficiency, they have resolved bottlenecks throughout the LNG bunkering chain, creating a safe, standardized, convenient, efficient, and port-wide green fuel bunkering service ecosystem. This continuously enhances Shanghai Port's core competitiveness and brand influence in the global green shipping sector.