Rhys BerryThe Port of Amsterdam has hosted its first ship-to-ship (STS) methanol bunkering operation.
The milestone fuelling, which took place last week at the TMA Logistics terminal in the Amerikahaven, saw Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Boreas supplied with green methanol delivered by the bunker vessel, Chicago.
As previously reported by ship.energy, the Boreas, which also features emission control technologies to minimise NOₓ emissions and a 6,000 kWh battery pack, is said to be the first ship of its kind that can operate on methanol.
‘We look forward to deploying this impressive vessel for our offshore wind projects and further advancing the transition to renewable energy,’ said Jaap de Jong, Project Director at Van Oord.
A total of 500 tonnes of ISCC-certified green methanol was bunkered via the Chicago from Unibarge. The methanol was supplied by OCI HyFuels.
‘We are pleased that Van Oord has chosen methanol,’ said Henri van der Weide, Clean Shipping Advisor at Port of Amsterdam. ‘This makes them an important pioneer in the use of sustainable fuels in shipping.’
The Port of Amsterdam, through its Clean Shipping Vision, is aiming to become a multi-fuel port. To achieve this, it is working on developing safety standards that enable the bunkering of alternative fuels in the Dutch port. This includes LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, and now methanol.
‘We do this in collaboration with the Clean Marine Fuels Working Group, a working group within the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which focuses on the preconditions ports need to support the energy transition in shipping,’ said van der Weide. ‘Together with this group, we have developed a safety checklist for bunkering operations.’
According to van der Weide, LNG bunkering has become ‘business as usual for us’.
‘Several licensed LNG suppliers are active, and we have created an LNG bunker map based on external safety research, which shows where LNG bunkering can be safely conducted.’
Hydrogen has also recently been bunkered in the port – but the bunkering of the Boreas by the Chicago marked the first time the port had hosted a ship-to-ship green methanol bunkering operation. Explaining the prerequisites for safety, van der Weide said: ‘First, a licensed bunker operator who complies with IAPH safety standards. Additionally, we use a methanol bunkering checklist developed with the IAPH. Finally, we as the port authority assess and designate a safe and suitable location or berth for the bunkering.’
STS methanol bunkering operations have already taken place at the neighbouring ARA ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges.
Image: Port of Amsterdam
Ian Taylor
