AP Moller-Maersk and Equinor have recently signed an agreement securing supply of green1 methanol for Maersk’s landmark, new methanol-enabled feeder vessel during its initial months of operation from September 2023 and into the first half of 2024.
The agreement ensures green methanol supply for the ship from its entry into operation on a loop from Northern Europe into the Baltic Sea. The green methanol will be bunkered in Rotterdam.
“Equinor is an established player in the European methanol market, and we have ambitions to be a key provider of green methanol in the marine fuel segment,” remarked Alex Grant, Senior Vice President for the liquid commodity segment at Equinor.
Bio-methanol
Bio-methanol is produced from biogas from manure. The biogas is upgraded to biomethane and injected into the existing gas grid and the methanol is produced from the biomethane in the grid on a mass-balance basis, according to a press communique.
“With more than 100 methanol enabled vessels on order across the industry, the demand for green fuel production is rising and will continue to do so in the years to come,” commented Rabab Boulos, Chief Infrastructure Officer, AP Moller-Maersk.
Long term, the feeder vessel will be fueled by e-methanol from a plant in Southern Denmark, operated by European Energy, which is expected to come on-stream in the first half of 2024, the press note concluded.
