Stock Photo: Bjoern Wylezich / Shutterstock.com
OCI Global, a global producer of nitrogen, methanol and hydrogen, has announced an agreement with X-Press Feeders to supply the common feeder carrier with green methanol fuel in the Port of Rotterdam.
OCI said the milestone agreement marks the world’s first green methanol deal with a feeder carrier and its second green methanol sale in the marine sector following its agreement with Maersk to supply the fuel to the world’s first methanol-powered containership.
X-Press Feeders has ordered a total of 14 dual fuel ships capable of running on green methanol. The ships comprise eight 1,170-TEU and six 1,250-TEU vessels for delivery in 2024 and 2025.
“The partnership between the world’s largest green methanol producer and world’s largest common feeder operator will create an end-to-end solution for global shipping companies in European ports,” OCI Global said in a statement.
The green methanol fuel will be distributed to the X-Press Feeders ships by OCI’s OCI HyFuels subsidiary utilizing a converted Unibarge bunker barge in the Port of Rotterdam beginning in 2024. OCI and Unibarge earlier this year reached an agreement on the conversion of the barge for not only green methanol fuel delivery, but the vessel itself will also run on the alternative fuel.
The announcement comes as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to a revised GHG reduction strategy for shipping to reach net zero “by or around 2050.”
Bashir Lebada, CEO of OCI Methanol/OCI HyFuels, said the agreement with X-Press Feeders marks yet another milestone in the decarbonization of the maritime fuels sector.
“With growing public and regulatory pressure on the shipping industry, we need to find ways to decarbonize every link in the chain. Through our new partnership with X-Press Feeders to supply them with OCI Hyfuels green methanol, and our existing collaboration with Unibarge to deliver the fuel via their green methanol bunker barge, we are creating an end-to-end decarbonization solution for the maritime industry in Europe,” said Lebada.
X-Press Feeders has set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
“X-Press Feeders’ partnership with OCI and the procurement of green methanol is the next logical decision in our journey towards our decarbonisation goal of Net Zero 2050,” said Shmuel Yoskovitz, CEO of X-Press Feeders. “In Q2 2024 we will receive our first of 14 dual fuel Methanol vessels, the advance procurement of green methanol allows us to offer the Main Line Operators and interested European Beneficial Cargo Owners the ability to deliver an Intra-European green corridor by mid 2024. This is one more step to prove X-Press Feeders’ commitment to deliver tangible contributions to a more sustainable shipping industry.”
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