Port of Singapore Marks First Methanol Bunkering

The Port of Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering port, has marked its first methanol bunkering.

The milestone operation took place Thursday involving Maersk’s yet-to-be-named 2,100 TEU feeder ship, which was delivered this month as the world’s first methanol-powered containership. The ship is currently on its maiden voyage from South Korea to Copenhagen, Denmark.

The ship-to-ship bunkering operation was performed by Hong Lam Marine utilizing its bunkering vessel MT Agility at the Raffles Reserved Anchorage. The vessel supplied the containership with 300 metric tons of carbon neutral bio-methanol supplied by OCI Global.

“The success of the methanol bunkering operation is a result of nearly a year’s preparations with various government agencies, research institutes, international collaborators, and industry to develop rigorous safety procedures through in-depth operational and risk assessments, modelling, and validation,” said Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). “This operation will help inform the development of the various standards, including the Technical Reference for methanol bunkering operations in Singapore, and guide our approach for future pilots and trials of new marine fuels.”

Maersk is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2040, which is a decade ahead of most other companies in the sector. The feeder ship powered by green methanol is the first of 25 green methanol-powered ships ordered by the shipping giant. The remaining newbuilds range in capacity from 9,000-17,000 TEUs with deliveries scheduled to take place between 2024 and 2027.