Maersk takes on 5,000 tonnes of bioethanol in Singapore shipping-fuel operation
The October 17 operation supplied Maersk Halifax while cargo handling continued. Singapore's port authority says the exercise will inform ethanol bunkering procedures and infrastructure readiness.
Maersk Halifax received approximately 5,000 metric tonnes of bioethanol in Singapore on October 17, in an operation intended to build experience with another potential marine fuel.
Maersk said the ISCC-certified bioethanol was supplied to its first retrofitted dual-fuel vessel while cargo operations continued. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore separately confirmed the operation at PSA's Pasir Panjang Terminal, involving fuel supplier Golden Island and PSA Singapore.
The authority described it as the largest single ethanol bunkering operation globally to date. Its practical significance is the handling of the fuel alongside ongoing port activity, rather than a commitment to convert Maersk's entire fleet to ethanol.
The port authority said the findings would help assess how Singapore's methanol bunkering reference and existing mass-flow-meter systems could be adapted for ethanol. It noted that methanol-capable engines require the necessary modifications before using ethanol.
“At Maersk, we continue to pursue a multi-fuel strategy because we recognise that no single fuel pathway can decarbonise global shipping on its own,” said Emma Mazhari, head of energy markets at Maersk.
Maersk says the operation follows ethanol trials earlier this year on Laura Maersk, Antonia Maersk and Tangier Maersk. The latest announcement does not disclose the fuel's purchase price, feedstock, quantified lifecycle emissions or a fleet-wide procurement schedule.
The exercise provides operational evidence for an emerging fuel option. It does not by itself establish that ethanol is cheaper than conventional bunker fuel or delivers the same emissions savings across different sources and supply chains.
