China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has carried out its first LNG bunkering operation of the year, with an MSC container ship taking on the LNG stem.

The MSC Saudi Arabia was bunkered with approximately 9,000 m3 of LNG on 9 January, the Zhejiang Free Trade Zone said in a statement on its website on Monday.

The stem was delivered by the LNG bunkering vessel Haiyang Shiyou 302.

“By utilising services such as ‘online appointment and instant processing’, the ‘Haiyang Shiyou 302’ vessel was promptly issued a permit to berth with a foreign vessel,” the free trade zone authority said.

LNG bunker demand is expected to grow over the coming years as more LNG-fuelled ships join the global fleet, requiring an increase in bunkering infrastructure. The global LNG-fuelled fleet currently consists of 846 vessels, with a further 552 scheduled for delivery by 2028, according to the classification society DNV.

Ship & Bunker had previously reported that about 8.03 million mt of bonded bunker fuel was sold in Zhoushan in 2025, up by 10.6% from 7.26 million mt in 2024.