Zhejiang completes first ship-to-ship green methanol bunkering

The first ship-to-ship green methanol bunkering operation in Zhejiang province was completed at the Meishan port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on April 22.

The operation supplied 503 metric tons of green methanol to COSCO Shipping Libra, a 20,000-TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship, from the bunkering vessel Da Qing 268 in about one hour.

The deal makes Ningbo-Zhoushan Port one of the few ports in China with ship-to-ship bunkering capacity for liquefied natural gas, biofuel, and methanol.

Ship-to-ship bunkering is the main method used internationally for methanol fuel. Compared with truck-to-ship bunkering, it is faster and better suited to large vessels, matching Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's heavy container traffic and tight operating schedules.

Green methanol has become a main clean fuel option for the shipping industry's low-carbon shift because of its low sulfur and nitrogen emissions and sharply reduced life-cycle carbon emissions.

Methanol is flammable, explosive, and toxic, and its vapors can accumulate. The bunkering process also involves many steps and coordination between ships, port operators, and shore-side agencies, making safety management more demanding than for conventional fuels.

To keep the operation safe, Ningbo maritime authorities set up a layered supervision network covering risk controls throughout the bunkering process.