To accelerate global maritime decarbonization, China has officially launched its independently developed GSTC Green Marine Fuel International Certification System alongside an integrated trading and bunkering hub in Shanghai. Backed by the Ministry of Transport and major global shipping lines, this unified framework establishes a robust cross-provincial supply chain and lifecycle carbon-tracking system to challenge traditional bunkering hubs.
Shanghai, China | July 1, 2026 – Shanghai is aggressively positioning itself to become the premier global hub for green marine fuels. At the Shanghai International Shipping Green Fuel Sustainable Development Conference, municipal authorities and state-owned enterprises unveiled a dual-pronged strategy: the launch of China’s first independently developed international green marine fuel certification system and plans for a dedicated shipping fuel trading platform.
The new initiatives are designed to build upon Shanghai’s established green bunkering operations, creating a comprehensive institutional ecosystem spanning certification, trading, and bunkering. Industry executives emphasize that these three pillars are vital for Shanghai to retain its status as a top-tier international shipping center as global maritime decarbonization mandates tighten.
The Three Pillars of Shanghai’s Green Strategy
According to local transportation officials, the development of Shanghai’s integrated green fuel ecosystem is moving at varying speeds across three distinct operational pillars.
Bunkering Infrastructure (Most Advanced) –> Certification Framework (Newly Launched) –> Trading Platform (Early Development)
1. The Bunkering Center (Advanced)
Shanghai Port has already established functional dual-fuel bunkering capabilities for both Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and green methanol. It remains one of a select few global ports capable of executing simultaneous ship-to-ship bunkering operations for vessels utilizing these alternative powertrains.
Data released by Zhang Da, general manager of SIPG Energy Service (the bunkering arm of the Shanghai International Port Group), underscores this volume growth. Between the launch of its green bunkering program in 2022 and the end of May, the port supplied:
- Over 1.9 million cubic meters of LNG.
- Over 110,000 tons of methanol.
2. The Certification Center (Newly Launched)
To break reliance on Western certification bodies and establish regional regulatory clout, the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center, a think tank under China’s Ministry of Transport, signed formal agreements with Shanghai government agencies to operate the International Certification System Affairs Center for Green Marine Fuels.
This officially operationalizes the domestic GSTC Green Marine Fuel International Certification System, providing a standardized framework to verify the carbon intensity and sustainability metrics of marine bio-fuels and e-fuels.
3. The Trading Platform (Early Stage)
The third pillar aims to commercialize the market. The Shanghai Shipping Exchange, alongside a consortium of financial institutions and energy firms, signed a framework agreement to jointly establish the Shanghai International Shipping Green Fuel Trading Platform. While transportation officials note this venture is in its infancy, the platform is intended to bring price transparency, standardized contracts, and liquidity to the burgeoning green fuel sector.
Securing the Upstream Supply Chain
Recognizing that infrastructure and trading platforms require robust upstream fuel volumes to function, Shanghai agencies concurrently signed a cross-provincial framework agreement with the northeastern provinces of Jilin and Liaoning.
This inter-provincial alliance is tasked with developing a resilient green methanol supply network, connecting the agricultural and industrial output of northeast China directly to the maritime demand center at the Port of Shanghai.
“Shanghai’s international shipping center is undergoing a structural transformation driven by the shipping industry’s green transition,” Wang Dajun, Deputy Director of the Science, Technology and Information Division at the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, “Accelerating the development of green fuel certification, trading, and bunkering services is increasingly critical.”
As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union intensify regulatory pressure on carrier emissions, Shanghai’s aggressive moves to control the certification, pricing, and distribution of green molecules represent a major competitive challenge to traditional bunkering hubs like Singapore and Rotterdam.
Operational Scale
At the operational core of this strategy is Shanghai Port’s advanced dual-fuel bunkering ecosystem. It remains one of only a select few hubs worldwide capable of executing simultaneous, ship-to-ship bunkering operations for both Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and green methanol-powered vessels, a technical capability that has allowed its alternative fuel volumes to scale rapidly since launching in 2022.
“The port has supplied more than 1.9 million cubic meters of LNG and over 110,000 tons of methanol since launching its green fuel bunkering business in 2022, as of the end of May,” stated Zhang Da, general manager of SIPG Energy Service, the maritime fuel arm of the Shanghai International Port Group.
Ministerial & Ecosystem Activation
The formal rollout of this blueprint occurred on June 30 during the Shanghai International Shipping Green Fuel Sustainable Development Conference. Co-hosted by the Shanghai Exchange Group (Shanghai Trading Association) and the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), the summit brought together over 200 key industry leaders, including Shanghai Vice Mayor He Qing and Ministry of Transport Chief Engineer Cen Yanqing, alongside transportation authorities from Shanghai, Liaoning, and Jilin provinces.
Formalization of the GSTC Ecosystem
The establishment of the International Certification System Affairs Center for Green Marine Fuels (GSTC) as a specialized regional service platform was codified via a landmark multilateral agreement. The pact was signed by Liu Peng, Director of the GSTIKC, alongside executives from the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, the Shanghai Maritime Bureau, the Hongkou District Government, and the Shanghai Exchange Group.
- Governing Authority: Jointly overseen by the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center (GSTIKC) under China’s Ministry of Transport.
- Co-Executing Bodies: Managed via a strategic alliance between the newly formed GSTC Certification Center and the China Classification Society (CCS).
To immediately anchor the system’s market authority, the GSTIKC partnered with the China Classification Society (CCS) to issue the inaugural batch of official green fuel certificates to five key energy and logistics conglomerates:
- China Energy Engineering Group (CEEC)
- Towngas Smart Energy (Hong Kong)
- Shenergy Group
- SIPG Energy Service
- Shanghai Huayi Holding Group
Furthermore, the Global Sustainable Transport Certification (GSTC) ecosystem expanded its immediate commercial pipeline by signing intent-to-cooperate frameworks with four additional clean-energy developers, including global renewables leader Envision Energy.
Technical Pathways and Liner Consensus
The conference also targeted long-term strategic alignments between green fuel producers and global consumers. Academician Huang Zhen of the Chinese Academy of Engineering delivered a definitive analysis of technical pathways and the strategic necessity of a structured energy transition.
This technical framework was further validated during a closed-door roundtable of major domestic and international ocean liners, including COSCO Shipping, SIPG, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hong Kong and China Gas, and Shanghai Electric Group. The alliance evaluated upcoming volume demands from global carrier fleets and mapped out standardized procurement pathways to ensure compliance with tightening global green corridors.
Moving forward, the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center (GSTIKC) will continue to leverage its institutional platform to unify the maritime supply chain, accelerate the internationalization of the GSTC framework, and actively translate Chinese sustainable infrastructure solutions into the standard regulatory language of global shipping.
Source: GSTIKC – International Convention and Standard Rules Center