Hapag-Lloyd has fueled one of its dual-fuel ships at Busan Port in South Korea with an unspecified amount of biomethanol. The container ship Seaspan Amazon conducted the fueling operation while unloading cargo at the port.
Biomethanol Production in China
The biomethanol used in this fueling operation was produced at the renewable energy facilities of Goldwind located in Inner Mongolia, China. Hapag-Lloyd has not disclosed the name of the physical supplier that delivered the fuel in Busan.
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This fueling operation is part of a long-term supply agreement that Hapag-Lloyd signed with Goldwind in 2024. Under this contract, Goldwind expects to supply 250,000 tons per year of a mix of biomethanol and electomethanol starting at the end of 2027.
Operational Experience and Production Capacity
By securing early fuel supply under this agreement, the companies have gained operational experience in fuel management. Goldwind hopes to increase the total production capacity of its facilities to 1.45 million tons per year by 2027. The company has also signed a long-term agreement to supply 500,000 tons per year of biomethanol for the Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk.
The development of biomethanol as a fuel in the shipping industry reflects increasing efforts to reduce environmental impacts and rely on renewable resources. This trend could help reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability in maritime transport.
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