Maersk’s methanol-powered deep-sea vessel ‘Ane Maersk’ bunkers in Antwerp

In Belgium, on Monday the world’s first large methanol-powered deep-sea vessel ‘Ane Maersk’ called the Antwerp port at the MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET). The vessel completed its first bunker operation in European waters, bunkering 4.300 tons of green methanol and 1.375 tons of biodiesel (B100) during the port stay. The successful and efficient bunkering is a new milestone in Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ ambition to become a multifuel port.

The call at the Antwerp port is part of ‘Ane Maersk’s’ maiden voyage from South Korea to China, fuelled by green methanol. The container vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea has a nominal capacity of 16,000 containers (TEU) and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine enabling operations on methanol as well as biodiesel and conventional bunker fuel. ‘Ane Maersk’ is the first of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels, that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025 and world’s second methanol-enabled container vessel.

The bunkering took place at the MPET terminal and was accomplished safely during terminal operations. TankMatch dispatched two barges to transfer 4.300 tons of green methanol onto the Ane Maersk. Subsequently, a barge from VT Group delivered 1.375 tons of biodiesel (B100) . The bunkering process was seamlessly integrated into the vessel’s port stay, combining bunkering simultaneously with on- and off-loading of cargo. The so called ‘simultaneous operations’ (SIMOPS) increased the efficiency of the port stay by lowering additional time allocation for refuelling. This impressive milestone reflects the excellent collaboration between multiple stakeholders involved.