X-Press Feeders and PaxOcean in ‘world’s first’ methanol dual-fuel boxship retrofit

Singapore-based independent common carrier X-Press Feeders has taken delivery of the first methanol dual-fuel retrofitted feeder vessel from PaxOcean’s Zhoushan yard in China.

On June 23, 2024, PaxOcean completed what it claims to be the world’s first methanol dual-fuel engine retrofit for a containership.

X-Press Feeders’ 1,170 TEU Eco Umande was constructed and delivered by New Dayang Shipbuilding in March this year and handed over to PaxOcean for a retrofit at Zhoushan yard.

The retrofit included fitting a MAN 5S50ME engine developed by German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) as well as a complete methanol fuel system and essential modifications.

This milestone marks another step in X-Press Feeders’ journey toward net zero by 2050. Earlier this year, the company welcomed the first green methanol-fueled 1,260 TEU containership built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group. The newbuild is the first of fourteen dual-fuel ships the company has on order.

The vessel will play a pivotal role in establishing X-Press Feeders’ new green feeder routes – the Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX) and Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX) in the third quarter of 2024. This will be the first feeder network in Europe powered by green methanol.

X-Press Feeders’ green methanol-powered feeder routes will be centered 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.

At the end of May this year, the Singaporean shipowner also contracted Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS), part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), to build four 11,000 TEU methanol-fueled containerships.