First barge-to-ship methanol bunkering

Tankers Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous belonging to joint venture Proman Stena Bulk, were refuelled with the methanol while discharging clean petroleum products at a terminal in the Port of Houston in the first week of April.

The barge bunkering operation was conducted jointly with Kirby Corporation and saw Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous take on 1,408MT and 1,203MT respectively.

Anita Gajadhar, executive director, marketing, logistics and shipping, Proman, said that the bunkering proved the viability of methanol as a marine fuel. “The Port of Houston is a major global cargo hub with significant latent methanol storage capacity. These qualities made it a natural testbed for our first US ship-to-ship bunkering,” she added.

The landmark bunkering supports wider efforts by US ports and shipping companies to make the industry more sustainable. The Port of Houston aims to become carbon neutral in the next 30 years and a key part of the port’s strategy is the use of alternative fuels and clean energy sources.

The bunkering also supports US commitments to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 under the Global Methane Pledge, which was announced at the COP26 climate summit in 2021.

The news of this first US Gulf methanol barge-to-ship bunkering comes ahead of the naming ceremony for Stena Promise in the Port of Rotterdam. Rotterdam was the site of Proman Stena Bulk’s first barge-to-ship methanol bunkering in August 2022, when Stena Pro Patria took on the fuel during a scheduled port call.