Gothenburg ready for methanol ship-to-ship bunkering

: Fertilizers, Petrochemicals
22/04/26

The Port of Gothenburg Authority said today it has received approval from the Swedish Transport Agency to operate methanol ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering at the port.

This advances the port's target to reduce shipping emissions in the area by 70pc by 2030. The port is seeking to establish a value chain for alternative fuels such as e-methanol, which it hopes to make available by 2024. Gothenburg has handled methanol since 2015, bunkering Stena Line's Stena Germanica via truck-to-ship (TTS) operations, and is now working with partners such as Liquid Wind and Orsted to create a storage and bunkering hub for methanol and e-methanol.

Other firms in Scandinavia have been advancing plans for alternative fuel supply. Earlier this month Norway-based fertilizer producer Yara said it would build 15 floating terminals to supply green ammonia for bunkering by 2024, and a consortium including Bunker Holding, Orsted and Wartsila, recently said they were seeking partners to develop a green marine fuels hub on Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea.

Danish shipping firm Maersk has backed methanol production by partnering with six companies, including Orsted, to boost global capacity to at least 730,000 t/yr by 2025. The firm has ordered 13 methanol-fuelled vessels, the first of which is due to be operational in early 2024.

Ammonia and methanol are two prominent alternative marine-fuel options under consideration by the industry, but premiums over conventional options may pose a challenge for shipowners. Argus assessed methanol in Rotterdam, Europe's largest bunkering port, at a $274/t premium to very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) yesterday, and ammonia delivered to northwest Europe had a $2,542/t premium to VLSFO according to Argus data.

By Jonah Sweeney

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