(Yicai) April 10 -- The Port of Shanghai successfully completed the first ship-to-ship methanol refueling for a container vessel in China.

Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, China's first methanol bunkering ship, put 504 tons of green methanol fuel into Astrid Maersk, a cargo carrier owned by Danish shipping giant Maersk, at Yangshan Deep-Water Port today, Shanghai Securities News reported. It was able to offload and load all containers during the process.

Astrid Maersk, at 350.6 meters long and 53.5 meters wide, can carry up to 16,592 twenty-foot equivalent units and is able to sail with both methanol and traditional fossil fuels. When powered only by methanol, its daily carbon dioxide emissions are 2.8 million tons less than a vessel of the same size using standard fuel.

Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the world's largest methanol refueling vessel, is 135.1 meters long, 20.2 meters wide, and 11.2 meters deep, with a total volume of 16,000 cubic meters and 12 cargo holds inside. It supports synchronous methanol refueling and container loading and unloading, cutting the time needed for the turnaround of international vessels in port.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration said that it will refine safety management for ship-to-ship methanol refueling and set up a routine services system, so that the Port of Shanghai can become a regional green methanol refueling hub, aiding the maritime industry's green and low-carbon transformation.

The Port of Shanghai handled 49.2 million TEUs last year, up 4 percent from 2022 and ranking first among global ports for the 14th consecutive year, according to official data.

Editor: Tom Litting