Singapore shipper claims ‘milestone’ with simultaneous bio-methanol refuelling of cargo ship: ‘significant leap forward’
- Simultaneous loading and refuelling quickens turnaround time, so the ship can sail at a slower pace, reducing fuel use and leading to lower costs and emissions
- The move signals the readiness of Singapore to play a role in global shipping’s shift to low-carbon fuel
A Singapore shipping firm performed on Monday what it called the world’s first simultaneous refuelling of a container ship with bio-methanol while it was being loaded with cargo in the port.
Simultaneous loading and refuelling hastens a vessel’s turnaround time, according to Shmuel Yoskovitz, chief executive of Singapore-based X-Press Feeders.
With extra time, the ship can sail at a slower pace, reducing fuel use and leading to lower costs and emissions, he added.
Global maritime transport accounts for 2.89 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, data from the International Maritime Organisation shows. On a global scale, it is more polluting than air transport.
“This milestone represents a significant leap forward for X-Press Feeders and the global maritime industry,” said Francis Goh, the firm’s chief operating officer.
He told reporters that as far as they know this was the first such simultaneous port refuelling with green methanol.
Green methanol, or bio-methanol, is composed of waste carbon dioxide (CO2) and “green hydrogen”, which is created by using renewable energy to split water molecules.