X-Press Feeders, the world’s largest independent common carrier, along with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (PSA Singapore) achieved a historic milestone towards sustainable shipping with the arrival in Singapore and successful refuelling of X-Press Feeders’ first dual-fuel vessel. This vessel, the first to dock and refuel with green methanol in the Port of Singapore, underlines the nation’s commitment to supporting the transition to renewable fuels in the global maritime industry.
This technologically advanced vessel, the first of its kind to be built in China, is equipped with a German-designed MAN 5S50ME dual-fuel engine and offers the flexibility to operate on green methanol. It is on its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam, with the crucial stop here in Singapore where X-Press Feeders and PSA worked together to refuel the vessel while cargo was being loaded and unloaded.
“This milestone represents a significant leap forward for X-Press Feeders and the global maritime industry,” said Francis Goh, X-Press Feeders’ Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud to lead the way in developing and implementing innovative solutions that will drastically reduce the maritime shipping industry’s environmental footprint. By pioneering the use of dual-fuel vessels, we are taking significant steps today to meet the targets for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
The vessel will play a pivotal role in establishing in Q3 2024 X-Press Feeders’ new green feeder routes – the Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX) and Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX). This will be the first feeder network in Europe powered by green methanol. The routes will be:
● Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX): Rotterdam > Antwerp-Bruges > Klaipeda > Riga > Rotterdam
● Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX): Rotterdam > Antwerp-Bruges > Helsinki > Tallinn > HaminaKotka > Rotterdam
X-Press Feeders received in mid-May the first of 14 dual-fuel ships on order. The first vessel was delivered from the New Yangzijiang Shipyard. X-Press Feeders’ green methanol powered feeder routes will be centred in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges, where the shipping line has a firm contract with Dutch fuel supplier OCI Global to supply its dual-fuel vessels with green methanol. OCI Global is the world’s leading green methanol producer. OCI HyFuel’s green methanol is ISCC EU (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certified and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 65%.
Also known as bio-methanol, the fuel is a renewable energy source produced from the decomposition of organic matter, such as waste and residues.
