X-Press Feeders to put dual fuel ships into operation

X-Press Feeders is on track to get its eight dual fuel ships operational in 2024 and also considering other zero-carbon fuels to achieve sustainable shipping in the long run.

The dual fuel ships will be deployed in Europe and run either on LNG or green methanol, paving the way for the company to achieve carbon neutral shipping by 2050.

In July 2021, Danish shipping company Maersk said it signed a ship-building contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyards for a 2100 TEU feeder vessel to be deployed on the Baltic shipping route, with delivery expected by mid-2023.

Although methanol bunker fuel prices are higher than those of conventional fuels, impending regulations are set to make them cost competitive over time.

The X-Press Feeders fleet is owned by Eastaway, the ship-owning entity of the Group. According to the X-Press Feeders website, the company operates over 100 vessels.

Meanwhile, container shipping was embracing a major change not only because of a multi-fuel future but also because of regulations such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator, Yoskovitz said.

The International Maritime Organization’s CII determines the annual reduction factor needed to ensure continuous improvement of a ship’s operational carbon intensity within a specific rating level.

The carbon intensity of a ship is calculated by multiplying its annual fuel consumption by a carbon-emission factor assigned to the fuel type used, then dividing that total by the annual distance traveled multiplied by the ship deadweight capacity.

Based on a ship’s CII, its carbon intensity will be rated A, B, C, D or E where A is the best. Ships rated D for three consecutive years, or E for one year, will have to submit a corrective action plan to show how the required index of C or above will be achieved.