Singapore bunkers methanol for container ship during cargo operation

The methanol bunkering operation was conducted by X-Press Feeders, Global Energy Trading Pte Ltd (GET), and PSA Singapore on 27 March at Tuas Port with the support of the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

X-Press Feeder container vessel on her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe was successfully refuelled with close to 300 metric tonnes (MT) of bio-methanol supplied by GET from Kara, a dedicated IMO type II chemical bunker tanker classified by Bureau Veritas and operated by Stellar Shipmanagement Services.

The bunkering took four hours to complete.

With the bunkering operation carried out while cargo operations continued on the vessel by terminal operator PSA the MPA said the Port of Singapore demonstrated it was ready for commercial scale operations for shore-to-ship, ship-to-ship, and simultaneously with cargo operations.

Simultaneous bunkering and cargo operation is preferred by container lines operating on fixed day schedules reducing down time. Container lines have been at the forefront of ordering methanol-powered tonnage as the look to reduce emissions.

Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive, MPA, said, “The successful execution of the SIMOPS (simultaneous methanol bunkering and cargo operation) is the outcome of many months of preparation for tripartite stakeholders to plan, prepare, and train to ensure the safety of the crew, port and vessel, while maintaining a high level of efficiency.

Related:V.Ships to manage X-Press methanol dual fuel feeders

“The learnings gained from these operations will help to further refine the 6 A Technical Reference (TR) for methanol bunkering is currently being developed in consultation with MPA and the Standards Development Organisation at Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SDO@SCIC). various SOPs and safety measures.”

Singapore is using the methodology for methanol bunkering other new fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen.