Waterfront Shipping, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Methanex
Corporation (Methanex), yesterday demonstrated the ease of
‘barge-to-ship’ bunkering as part of the launch of the world’s
first barge-to-ship methanol bunkering operation at the Port of
Rotterdam. Waterfront Shipping’s Takaroa Sun—a long-term chartered
vessel owned by NYK Bulkship (Asia) Pte. Ltd., and a subsidiary of
NYK—which was accorded special mention for Green Ship of the Year,
participated in the operation as the inaugural methanol-powered
ship to be fuelled by a commercial bunker barge.
The premiere bunkering operation took place at the Vopak
Terminal Botlek of Royal Vopak with a bunker barge, “MTS Evidence,”
operated by TankMatch. The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport
in Europe with approximately 30,000 visiting seagoing vessels and
100,000 inland vessels per year.
“Waterfront Shipping has been operating methanol-fuelled ships
for over five years now, accumulating over 100,000 combined
operating hours—and has been bunkering methanol for its methanol
dual-fuelled vessels via cargo shore pipelines near Methanex’s
production facilities,” said Paul Hexter, President of Waterfront
Shipping. “When appropriate safety measures are followed, we know
that methanol is safe to ship, store, handle and bunker using
procedures similar to conventional fuels. Today’s methanol
bunkering demonstration is another step in helping the shipping
industry with its journey to reduce emissions.”
The bunkering demonstration provided further evidence of
methanol as a low emission, safe and simple to handle clean fuel
that offers a future-proof pathway to a low-carbon future. Liquid
at ambient temperature and miscible in water, methanol produces up
to 15 percent lower carbon emissions during combustion than
traditional fuel oil and is MARPOL Annex VI compliant for SOx
emissions, particulate matter and Tier III NOx emissions.
“The Port of Rotterdam fully supports initiatives to reduce
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and promotes sustainability
for ships calling here and in other ports,” said Allard Castelein,
CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority. “Methanol has proven itself able
to meet our very stringent safety standards and can play an
important role in meeting the lower emission goals.”
“As shipowners begin to engage in the energy transition, the
Vopak terminals have the capabilities and experience to also work
with operators of methanol-fuelled vessels and meet their specific
requirements,” said Dick Richelle, Commercial Director of Royal
Vopak. “Methanol is globally available and has similar storage
needs to conventional fuels. This demonstration proves that
methanol bunkering is a safe and realistic option as a
clean-burning fuel with a sustainable pathway.”
“We are increasingly hearing from vessel operators who want to
understand their options for lowering their emissions and want a
simple path to IMO compliance,” says Andre Nieman, Chief Executive
Officer of TankMatch. “Bunkering with methanol requires a similar
level of risk assessment and safety management as other
conventional bunker fuels and we found this process simple to
manage and execute.”
Methanex is committed to demonstrating ongoing leadership in the
use of lower-emission methanol as a marine fuel. Waterfront
Shipping recently ordered an additional eight methanol-fuelled
vessels to be delivered between 2021 and 2023—with this latest
order, approximately 60 percent of its 30-ship fleet will be
powered by lower emission, methanol dual-fuel technology.
Further information on the methanol bunkering demonstration will
be made available to the marine industry in the coming months.
About MethanolMethanol is an essential
ingredient for modern-day life and is used to produce everyday
products including paints, carpets, fabrics, building materials,
and a variety of health and pharmaceutical products. As governments
and stakeholders around the world look to reduce their dependency
on conventional fuels, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, methanol has emerged as an attractive, economically
viable alternative fuel. Today, close to half of global methanol
demand is used in fuels and energy-related applications. As a
marine fuel, methanol is safe, cost-effective and globally
available at close to 90 of the world’s 100 largest ports. Methanol
meets the shipping industry’s increasingly strict emissions
regulations—it significantly reduces emissions of sulphur oxides
(SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter, and when
produced from renewable sources, offers a pathway to meeting future
emissions regulations without further shipowner investment. To view
a video about methanol, click here.
About Methanex CorporationMethanex is a
Vancouver-based, publicly traded company and is the world's largest
producer and supplier of methanol to major international markets.
Methanex shares are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock
Exchange in Canada under the trading symbol "MX" and on the NASDAQ
Global Market in the United States under the trading symbol "MEOH”.
Methanex can be visited online at www.methanex.com.
About Waterfront ShippingWaterfront Shipping, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Methanex Corporation, is a global marine
transportation company specializing in the safe, responsible and
reliable transport of bulk chemicals and clean petroleum products
to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific,
Europe and Latin America. Waterfront Shipping operates the world's
largest methanol ocean tanker fleet with its fleet comprising
vessels from 3,000 to 50,000 deadweight tonnes. Its fleet of 30
modern, deep sea tankers forms a seamless transportation network
dedicated to keeping an uninterrupted flow of methanol moving to
storage terminals and customers' plant sites around the world. For
more information, please visit www.wfs-cl.com.
About the Port of RotterdamThe aim of the Port
of Rotterdam Authority is to strengthen the competitive position of
the port of Rotterdam as a logistics hub and a world-class
industrial complex in terms of both size and quality. The Port
Authority is able and willing to make an impact and so it is
focusing on accelerating sustainability in the port and it is a
partner in the digitalisation of the port and logistics chains. The
Port Authority's core tasks are the sustainable development,
management and operation of the port, the maintenance of the smooth
and safe handling of shipping and supporting the future-resilience
of the port of Rotterdam. For more information, visit
www.portofrotterdam.com/en
About Royal VopakRoyal Vopak is the world’s
leading independent tank storage company. We store vital products
with care. With over 400 years of history and a focus on
sustainability, we ensure safe, clean and efficient storage and
handling of bulk liquid products and gases for our customers. By
doing so, we enable the delivery of products that are vital to our
economy and daily lives, ranging from chemicals, oils, gases and
LNG to biofuels and vegoils. We are determined to develop key
infrastructure solutions for the world’s changing energy and
feedstock systems, while simultaneously investing in digitalization
and innovation. Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and is
headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. For more information,
please visit vopak.com.
About NYKNippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK)
was founded in 1885 and is one of the world's leading
transportation companies. At the end of March 2020, the NYK Group
was operating 784 major ocean vessels, as well as fleets of planes
and trucks. The NYK Group is based in Tokyo, employs about 35,000
people worldwide, and has regional headquarters in London, New York
/ New Jersey, Singapore, and Shanghai. In accordance with its
medium-term management plan “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization
and Green”, the company is promoting digitalization and green
initiatives in an effort to optimize the overall supply chain and
create new value in the environmental field while working to
strengthen the group’s ability to ensure stable revenue and
withstand business downturns — thus realizing the company’s basic
philosophy of “Bringing value to life” and contributing to the
betterment of societies. For more information, please visit
www.nyk.com/english/group.
About TankMatchTankMatch is the pre-eminent
service company specializing in the transport and storage of
mineral oil products, liquid chemicals and renewable liquid
products. We transport by rail, on rivers and canals and through
the seaports of Europe. Every day, we serve our customers in the
chemical, mineral and sustainable sectors. Our two divisions,
TankMatch Inland Shipping and TankMatch Rail incorporate
experienced teams, and a modern fleet of double-hulled tankers and
tank wagons. The infrastructure of rail and inland waterways are
among the most environmentally efficient means of transport. For
more information visit www.tankmatch.eu.
For further information, contact:
Methanex Investor InquiriesKim Campbell,
Director, Investor Relations+1-604 661 2600 or Toll Free: 1 800 661
8851
Methanex Media InquiriesNina Ng, Manager,
Global Communications+1-604 661 2600 or Toll Free: 1 800 661
8851
Port of Rotterdam Media InquiriesSjaak Poppe,
Spokesperson +31 6 224 66 553
Vopak Media InquiriesLiesbeth Lans, Manager,
External Communication+31 (0)10 400 2777 | e-mail:
global.communication@vopak.com
NYK Media InquiriesYuichi Suzuki, Manager,
Media Relations Team, Corporate Communication Groupemail:
NYKJP.ML.MEDIA@nykgroup.com
TankMatch Media InquiriesAndre Nieman, CEO+31
183 89 39 31
A photo accompanying this announcement is available
at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4f9ae3a0-a11f-4266-8d0c-6a0ef60d5a64
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