Earlier in May, the first ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering of methanol took place in the Port of Amsterdam. At TMA Logistics’ terminal in Amerikahaven, Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Boreas was supplied with 500 tonnes of green methanol, delivered from the bunker ship Chicago.
Van Oord‘s Boreas is a new-build offshore installation vessel and the largest of its kind. The ship entered the Amsterdam port for the first time in March via Zeesluis IJmuiden. The Boreas is the first ship of its kind that can run on methanol, significantly reducing its carbon footprint. Advanced emission control technology minimises NOx emissions, while a 6000-kWh battery pack further reduces fuel consumption and emissions.
A total of 500 tonnes of ISCC-certified green methanol was bunkered via Unibarge‘s Chicago bunker barge. The methanol was supplied by OCI HyFuels. Green methanol is produced using sustainable raw materials (such as waste and residual streams). This significantly reduces emissions of CO2, particulates and nitrogen. Watch a video of the bunkering released by Unibarge below.
Also read: Van Oord’s offshore giant Boreas arrives in the Netherlands
Multi fuel port
From its Clean Shipping Vision, the Port of Amsterdam has the ambition to be a multi fuel port. To achieve this, the port is working, among other things, on developing safety standards that enable the bunkering of alternative fuels in the Amsterdam port. Think of LNG, hydrogen, ammonia and thus also methanol.
Henri van der Weide, Clean Shipping advisor at Port of Amsterdam: ‘We do this in cooperation with the Clean Marine Fuels Working Group, a working group within the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which works on the preconditions ports need to make shipping more sustainable. With this working group, we have developed, among other things, a safety checklist for bunkering.’
Also read: Port of Amsterdam bans open-loop scrubbers
Safe bunkering of alternative fuels
Bunkering of alternative fuels is taking place in the Amsterdam port ever more often. Van der Weide: ‘LNG bunkering is now business as usual in our port. There are several licensed LNG suppliers and we have drawn up an LNG bunkering map based on external safety research. This shows where LNG bunkering can safely take place.’
Hydrogen has also recently been bunkered in the Port of Amsterdam. But this was the first time ship-to-ship bunkering of green methanol took place.
To allow this to take place safely, Van der Weide says that they work with licensed bunkering operators that meet IAPH safety standards. In addition, there is a checklist for methanol bunkering, developed together with the IAPH. ‘Finally, as a port, we look at a safe and suitable location or berth for bunkering. We then designate that location,’ Van der Weide adds.
Picture by the Port of Amsterdam.
Also read: Amsterdam and Den Helder ports to advance energy transition
