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Recently, the container ship *Eco Levant* of X-Press Feeders conducted a bunkering with ethanol at the Port of Rotterdam. This represents a significant step in the shipping industry, as it is one of the first worldwide bunkerings with ethanol on a seagoing vessel and the first of its kind in Rotterdam.
The ship is now operating with a fuel mixture consisting of 90% ISCC-EU certified biomethanol and 10% ISCC-EU certified second-generation ethanol. The bunkering was carried out under controlled operating conditions and was conducted safely. While bunkering with methanol is already common practice, ethanol and methanol were stored separately on board the ship. Both fuels were delivered by a bunkering vessel for inland shipping and mixed on board the *Eco Levant*. The bunkering vessel MTS Experience, operated by Tankmatch, delivered the two fuels.
X-Press Feeders is the largest independent feeder service shipping company in the world, operating a fleet of over 100 vessels that call at more than 180 ports. Shivendu Gadkar, Head of Fleet Efficiency and Performance at X-Press Feeders, emphasizes: “Ship fuels are constantly evolving. At X-Press Feeders, we place great importance on continuously examining and developing viable solutions that contribute to reducing emissions from our fleet.”
Collaboration for Alternative Fuels
METHANAVE, a consulting and service company specializing in alternative ship fuels, supports projects in the field of methanol and ethanol for shipping. Morten Jacobsen from METHANAVE highlights: “This project demonstrates the flexibility of alternative fuels such as methanol and ethanol in shipping and shows how collaboration across the entire supply chain can accelerate implementation.”
Matthijs van Doorn, Commercial Director of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, also comments on this progress: “This step shows that Rotterdam is ready for a wide range of alternative fuels. We want to work together with all stakeholders in the port to ensure that all alternative, low-carbon fuels can be bunkered in the future, thereby promoting the sustainability of international shipping. This is how we aim to become the leading transshipment port for sustainable fuels.”
The Port of Rotterdam is the second-largest bunkering port in the world, where approximately ten million tons of fuel are bunkered annually. The port authority is focusing on various alternative fuels and successfully conducted a pilot project for ammonia bunkering as early as 2025.
