Unibarge clinches methanol bunker license for ‘key’ European ports

Unibarge, a Dutch-Swiss company specializing in inland tanker shipping, has secured a license to deliver methanol bunkering supplies to the Ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium.

As disclosed, a bunkering operation has already been wrapped up, involving two vessels: Unibarge’s 3,238 dwt bunker barge Chicago, and Singapore-based independent common carrier X-Press Feeders’ 1,170 TEU boxship Eco Umande, which underwent what was claimed to be “the world’s first” methanol dual-fuel engine retrofit for a container vessel in July 2024.

Unibarge revealed that Chicago “successfully supplied” Eco Umande with green methanol in an operation performed in the third week of February 2025 at the Delta Barge Feeder terminal in Rotterdam.

Chicago is understood to be Europe’s ‘first’ dual-fuel bunker barge powered by green methanol, or, more precisely, ‘the first’ inland waterway craft to also serve as a methanol bunker delivery ship in Europe.

The unit was retrofitted with methanol dual-fuel propulsion at the beginning of 2023 through a joint effort between Unibarge and the Netherlands-headquartered fuel producer OCI N.V. (OCI).

Representatives from the companies explained back then that the barge would run on renewable and low-carbon methanol, as well as conventional biofuels, making this initiative ‘particularly significant’ for the climate neutrality targets set by the shipping industry.

The Port of Rotterdam has offered methanol bunkering to sea-going vessels on a regular basis since 2023. According to the port, after the inaugural bio-methanol operation that year, the demand for this alternative fuel source surged from 750 tonnes in 2023 to nearly 4,000 tonnes in 2024.

However, port representatives revealed that there was a ‘moderate’ decrease in bunkering operations in 2024, going from 9.9 million tonnes of fuel bunkered in 2023 to 9.8 million.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges also marked the ‘first bunkering operation’ milestone in 2023; namely, in June of that year, 475 mT of methanol was bunkered from barge Tamariva to Proman Stena Marine at Sea-invest’s terminal.

Then, during its maiden visit to Antwerp in April 2024, the 350-meter-long Ane Maersk—the world’s first large methanol-powered deep-sea vessel—wrapped up its first bunkering operation in European waters, having been supplied with 4,300 tons of green methanol and 1,375 tons of biodiesel (B100) during the port stay.

The Port of Amsterdam has, too, reported being on a ‘steady’ course toward its decarbonization ambitions. In January 2025, it revealed a strategy to become a ‘hub’ for clean shipping, renewable energy and circular industry by 2040.

As part of this, the Port of Amsterdam said it would concentrate on transitioning coal terminals, maintaining port accessibility, phasing out fossil fuel use and scaling non-fossil activities, among other efforts.

As part of its sustainability endeavors, the Port of Amsterdam has also actively worked on improving its bunkering services. It is understood that, to promote the adoption of cleaner fuels, the port has updated its ‘Port By-laws’, facilitating the bunkering of eco-friendly fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia.