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INITIAL ETHANOL-METHANOL BUNKERING OPERATION FINISHED IN ROTTERDAM
DETAIL INFORMATION
In a highly monitored event described as a transformative bunkering, the Port of Rotterdam has recently facilitated its inaugural ethanol-methanol operation. There is increasing attention in the maritime industry regarding ethanol as a potential simple complement to alternative fuels.
Singapore-based shipping company X-Press Feeders collaborated with consulting firm METHANAVE to test the bunkering of blended fuel on the container vessel Eco Levant. The bunkering took place at the Port of Rotterdam, representing the first occasion that a bunker vessel delivered ethanol to a maritime vessel. Maersk has reported experimenting with ethanol on its innovative methanol dual-fuel feeder vessel, Laura Maersk, while engine makers WinGD and Everllence have indicated advancements in modifying engines for ethanol use.s.
Managed by X-Press Feeders, the 148-meter (485-foot) Eco Levant was constructed in 2024 and flies the French flag. The dual-fuel ship was engineered to run on green methanol, allowing her to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 65 percent. The ship was perfect for the test that entailed providing and fueling a marine fuel mixture made up of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent methanol in regulated operating circumstances.