Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and four partners, collectively known as the “Five Parties”, completed Japan’s first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation at an anchorage in Yokohama’s Keihin Port on 6 February.
The operation involved transferring methanol from the Japan-flagged bunker tanker Eika Maru to the methanol dual-fuel Panama-flagged vessel Kohzan Maru VII. The Eika Maru is operated by Kokuka Sangyo Co., Ltd., while the Kohzan Maru VII is operated by MOL.
The methanol used was supplied by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC). It was domestically produced from waste-or plant-derived feedstocks and is designed to achieve carbon-neutral lifecycle emissions.
MOL launched the world’s first methanol-powered vessel in 2016 and currently operates eight such vessels. The company is targeting a fleet of 90 LNG- and methanol-powered vessels by 2030 as a key milestone toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
