OTK’s chief commercial officer Joseph Kim said: “We congratulate Maersk on this important milestone and are proud to be the first terminal to successfully supply green methanol bunkering to this unique vessel.
“Over the past months, there have been business reviews and technical efforts on safe and successful methanol bunker supply models. We expect these results to be the cornerstone of the methanol bunkering business moving forward.”
The methanol dual-fuel engine vessel bunkered the special fuel at Odfjell Terminals Korea in Ulsan before embarking on its maiden voyage towards Copenhagen.
The 2,100 TEU-sized vessel is the first of 19 methanol dual-fuel engine ships to come from Maersk.
The operational experiences on its 21,500 km from South Korea to Denmark – more than halfway around the globe – looks set to be followed with global interest.
Green methanol can reduce sulphur oxides (Sox), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by more than 95%, and NOx by up to 80% compared to conventional marine fuels, and can be carbon neutral on a lifecycle basis.