Summary: Maersk has completed the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the United States, marking another step in the company's exploration of future fuel pathways for shipping.
Charlotte, North Carolina — A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) today announced the successful bunkering of Tangier Maersk, a dual-fuel alcohol-enabled container vessel, using U.S.-produced corn ethanol.
The operation marked the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the United States. The milestone is part of Maersk’s broader efforts to explore multiple potential fuel pathways for the future of shipping.
This operation provided valuable insight into the operational, infrastructure, sourcing and supply chain considerations for using ethanol as a marine fuel. While ethanol benefits from an established production base, existing infrastructure and compatibility with alcohol-enabled vessel technology, scalable future fuel pathways will also depend on fuel availability, regulation and operational readiness across the maritime value chain. (....)