First Ethanol Bunkering in Rotterdam Port

Last weekend, the container ship Eco Levant, operated by X-Press Feeders, was bunkered with ethanol in the port of Rotterdam. It is one of the first times worldwide, and the first time in Rotterdam, that a bunker vessel supplied ethanol to a sea-going vessel.

The vessel has been operating on a blend of ethanol and methanol since the bunkering. The fuel blend consisted of 90% ISCC EU-certified biomethanol and 10% ISCC EU-certified second-generation ethanol and was safely bunkered under controlled operational conditions.

Methanol bunkering is already well established. Ethanol and methanol were bunkered separately on the sea-going vessel. Both fuels were delivered separately by a single inland bunker vessel, and the batches were mixed (blended) on board the receiving vessel. Tankmatch supplied the methanol and ethanol with their bunker barge MTS Experience.

X-Press Feeders is the world’s largest independent feeder shipping company. The company operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels and serves more than 180 ports worldwide. Shivendu Gadkar, Head of Fleet Efficiency and Performance at X-Press Feeders: “Maritime fuels continue to evolve. At X-Press Feeders, we believe it’s essential to continue to evaluate workable solutions and develop them further — solutions that contribute to reducing our fleet’s emissions.”