Japan’s Yokohama city will explore green methanol bunkering at its port with domestic firm Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Danish shipping firm AP Moeller-Maersk, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector.
The group signed the agreement on 27 December, with the deal covering discussions on methanol delivery operations and regulations for vessels. The government and local port authority will also join the discussions. But details regarding methanol supply, start-up timelines and estimated bunker volumes, remain unclear.
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical supplies conventional methanol, but it is also exploring other forms of methanol production that can contribute to carbon neutrality.The company already operates a 1 t/d pilot plant, producing methanol from hydrogen and CO2 emitted from its Niigata site. It also plans to have the pilot plant produce bio-ethanol using gas generated at a sewage treatment plant in the region. A 100,000 t/yr methanol plant could be built, the company aid.
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, domestic firms and Australian cement producer Cement Australia are also studying renewable methanol production from waste plastic and CO2 emitted from collaborating companies.
Maersk is gearing up its methanol-powered ship deployment, with its strategy to boost global capacity of green methanol and source at least 730,000 t/yr of the fuel by the end of 2025.
The port of Yokohama, one of Japan’s biggest international ports, aims to become a carbon neutral port by 2050. The port has waived entry fees for LNG-fuelled and LNG bunkering vessels, as well as for ships that meet exhaust gas levels regulated by the Environmental Ship Index (ESI). ESI was initiated by the International Association of Ports and Harbors. The waiver can also be applied for methanol-fuelled vessels, as the ships should meet ESI, Yokohama city said.
The city is also working on ammonia bunkering with domestic shipowner Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line). A Japanese cross-industry group, icluding NYK Line, plans to launch an ammonia-powered tugboat at the port of Yokohama in June 2024 as an initial step towards launching ammonia-fuelled ocean-going vessels.
By Maiko Nakashima
