The methanol-powered Ro-Ro and passenger vessel Stena Germanica became the first non-tanker vessel in the world to be bunkered with methanol ship to ship at the Port of Gothenburg in Sweden on 24 January.
Until now, Stena Germanica has been bunkering methanol solely from trucks.
“The key to success is working together over the full value chain to find a pragmatic and safe approach for implementing bunker procedures for methanol. In the end, it will contribute to the industry’s goal to decarbonise shipping at large,” stated Christoffer Lillhage, senior business development manager of energy at the Gothenburg Port Authority.
Several different parties collaborated throughout the process. The Port of Gothenburg was the first in the world to establish operating procedures for methanol bunkering in April 2022. In practice, the tanker operator E&S did the bunkering, and the fuel was supplied by methanol maker and supplier Methanex.
“Stena Germanica, connecting Gothenburg with Kiel in Germany, became the world’s first methanol-powered ferry when Stena Line converted the 240-meter vessel in 2015 in partnership with Methanex, Wärtsilä, the Port of Gothenburg and the Port of Kiel. We welcome ship-to-ship bunkering as a tool to achieve a stable and efficient supply chain for methanol which is critical in Stena Line’s shift to alternative fuels and to retain our position as a leader in sustainable shipping,” said Maria Tornvall, head of sustainability at Stena Line.
Recently the demand for methanol has been increasing with one of the world’s largest container shipping companies, Maersk Line, having ordered 19 of the world’s largest container ships powered by methanol.
“We want to establish the Port of Gothenburg as the primary bunkering hub for alternative marine fuels in northern Europe. Today we are one step closer to that goal and we are ready to receive more methanol vessels,” noted Christoffer Lillhage.
