Bunker One launches its 1st methanol-ready tanker

Marine fuel supplier Bunker One has launched its first methanol-ready bunker tanker.

Bunker One has signed a long-term charter of the tanker MT Nore, which as of May 2023, received all bunkering permits and certifications for operating in the region. MT Nore is the fourth bunker tanker in Bunker One Sweden’s fleet.

According to the company, this step further makes the strait between Denmark and Sweden able to support the green transition by offering the necessary infrastructure for last-mile delivery of alternative fuels to ships.

MT Nore will serve as a multi-fuel bunkering tanker with 3,500-ton storage. The firm plans to support ships passing by Gothenburg and Skaw with methanol as an alternative fuel. 

“Gothenburg, Skaw and the entire Scandinavian region is one of our most important bunkering hubs with significant vessel traffic passing through the area, so to start building the infrastructure and have it in place is going to send a strong signal to our customers that if they bet on building ships powered by carbon emissions reducing products, we will be ready to supply them,” said Peter Zachariassen, CEO of Bunker One.

“We’ve been working for some time, getting the landside infrastructure in place, chartering the tanker, and getting the licenses from the maritime authorities. But it all still feels like something that we’ve tried before. We are experts when it comes to supplying the maritime industry, which is no different whether it is conventional fuel or alternative products,” stated Petter Jonason, Bunker One Sweden’s Chief Operating Officer.

The firm also highlighted that being ready to supply alternative products in Scandinavia marks a significant event for the rest of the maritime industry.

However, with some shipping and logistics companies still in the planning phase of investing in new ships with alternative engine fuel, the possibility of bunkering methanol is extremely valuable in terms of assisting them in their decision-making process.

“Purchasing new fleets with alternative fuel as propulsion is a daring investment to ship owners, but we firmly believe that if we build the infrastructure, they will have one less thing to hold them back. New ships and alternative fuels will be necessary for the long run in the green transition. So, for now, we believe in taking leadership and becoming ready to transition towards carbon-reduced products. That is the only way change is coming around,” added Zachariassen.

To remind, Bunker One has recently joined forces with Singapore-based container shipping Pacific International Lines (PIL), marine energy solutions provider and trader KPI OceanConnect to carry out first live electronic marine fuel inventory statement for an overseas delivery through the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex).