ASUKA III, seen as the largest Japanese-flagged cruise ship, has filled up with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Singapore, marking one of the region’s ‘first-ever’ supplies of this sustainable fuel for a vessel of this type.
According to the Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC), the operation was conducted by FueLNG Private Limited, a joint venture between Shell Singapore and Seatrium.
This has also signaled ASUKA III’s inaugural LNG bunkering since it was handed over to its owner, Japan’s NYK Cruises, a subsidiary of maritime transportation heavyweight Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), in April 2025.
This development follows SCC’s milestone of performing what was described as the “first liquefied natural gas bunkering for cruise passenger ships in the Asia Pacific.” Specifically, in late February 2025, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, a bunkering arm of Total based in Singapore, provided a supply of LNG to Silversea’s 2023-delivered cruise ship Silver Nova.
At the time of the development, Jacqueline Tan , SCC CEO, highlighted that the preparation for this was ‘done meticulously’, guided by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Tan noted that the accomplishment could help further clear the path for cruise vessel LNG bunkering in the region.
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The growing number of dual-fuel LNG ships, particularly in the cruise segment, has commanded increasing attention from bunkering providers and port authorities, prompting a rapid expansion of liquefied natural gas bunkering infrastructure and services at key cruise hubs worldwide, including Singapore – the world’s biggest bunkering hub.
As informed, the MPA has been driving this expansion through initiatives like sea-based LNG reloading trials and the exploration of alternative LNG sources like bio-methane. It is worth noting that MPA opened a call in December 2024 for an Expression of Interest (EOI) for both of the mentioned initiatives as a way to deepen the interest in this fuel source and pave the way for its wider adoption.