Port of Gothenburg completes methanol bunkering

The Port of Gothenburg has completed a new milestone for the use of methanol as a marine fuel, fuelling the Stena Germanica.

This vessel was the first non-tanker vessel in the world to be bunkered with methanol ship to ship.

The bunkered ship was Stena Line’s ro-ro and passenger vessel, Stena Germanica, which until now has been bunkering methanol solely from trucks.

Operating regulations for methanol bunkering is a prerequisite that the Port of Gothenburg published in April, 2022.

Stena Line is the owner of the vessel in question and the purchaser of the methanol.

The tanker operator, E&S, carried out the bunkering itself in practice, and methanol producer and supplier, Methanex, provided the fuel.

Methanol as a marine fuel has positive environmental and climate properties and is making strong progress in international shipping.

Maersk has 19 larger methanol propelled container ships on order.

Maersk have made a number of other investments into the low carbon emitting fuel, including investing in Berlin-based, C1 Green Chemicals AG, a firm specialising in producing green methanol.

They have also signed a new partnership with Chinese bioenergy enterprise Debo to boost global green methanol production capacity.

X-Press Feeders is another major player that will start launching eight methanol propelled vessels this year, and many other shipping companies are placing new methanol vessels in the order books.