OCI Global will fuel the world’s first green methanol powered container vessel

OCI Global will provide ISCC certified biomethanol to power the maiden voyage of Maersk’s first methanol dual-fueled containership,

Amsterdam-headquartered OCI Global (Euronext: OCI) reports that it will be fueling the maiden voyage of the world’s first ever green methanol powered containership in a new partnership with A.P. Moller-Maersk.

In a pioneering step towards the decarbonization of global shipping, OCI will provide ISCC certified biomethanol to power the maiden voyage of Maersk’s first methanol dual-fueled containership.

Ordered by Maersk at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in July 2021, the 172 meter, 2,100 TEU vessel is set to be formally christened by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, in a September 14 ceremony in Copenhagen. It will leave South Korea for its maiden voyage this summer, sailing along one of the world’s busiest shipping routes to Northern Europe via the Suez Canal. Positioning it as the first commercial bunker supplier of methanol in these regions, OCI is obtaining the approvals and permits required to commercially bunker methanol in several ports on the voyage, including the Port of Rotterdam.

In February, OCI announced a project with Unibarge to retrofit the first methanol powered bunker barge, to be deployed at the Port of Rotterdam.

OCI says that the voyage demonstrates its unique capacity to supply marine customers with end-to-end green methanol solutions in major global bunkering locations, and further supports green methanol as the leading choice today for decarbonizing the marine sector.

The voyage also marks an important milestone in the expansion of OCI’s renewable and low-carbon fuels business. As the maritime industry navigates increased regulation to accelerate decarbonization, such as the FuelEU Maritime initiative, OCI anticipates incremental global demand for methanol at 4 million tons per year in the next five years, based on current orders from the marine sector.

OCI says it is focused on being the last mile operator of choice at strategic bunkering ports, leveraging partnerships with relevant authorities, terminal infrastructure partners, and bunker barge operators.