Americas News
Maersk Takes First 100% Bioethanol Bunker Delivery in US
- POET says it supplied the first 100% bioethanol bunkering in the US, at Houston
- Kirby handled fuel transport and the bunkering operation
- Release gives no vessel name, date, or volume
- Follows Maersk's ethanol deliveries at Rotterdam and Barcelona this year
Maersk has taken what bioethanol producer POET says is the first 100% bioethanol bunker delivery in the US, at Houston.
South Dakota-based POET supplied the fuel, Kirby Corporation handled its transport and the bunkering operation, and the Port of Houston and the US Coast Guard supported the coordination and regulatory requirements, the company said in an emailed press release on Monday.
The release does not name the vessel, the date of the operation, or the volume delivered.
In July Ship & Bunker reported that Maersk planned the first ethanol bunkering of a container vessel in the US for an event in Mobile on September 15-16, with the same ship lifting the fuel.
"Bioethanol has the potential to contribute meaningfully to the future energy mix for shipping," said Emma Mazhari, Maersk's vice president for energy markets.
"[Bioethanol] can offer another scalable, lower-emission fuel option and greater flexibility in how the maritime industry approaches its transition to lower-carbon fuels. This operation with POET is an important step in exploring how bioethanol can be incorporated into marine-fuel supply chains in the United States."
The delivery extends a run of ethanol operations by the company this year, from its first sailing on 100% ethanol in the first quarter to the bunkering of the larger Antonia Maersk at Barcelona in July.
POET says it produces more than 3 billion gallons of bioethanol a year across 35 plants, and that the fuel's existing production and distribution network makes it available to bunker markets worldwide.
"Bioethanol has spent decades proving itself as a reliable, scalable fuel in the world's largest transportation market," said POET founder and CEO Jeff Broin.
"Now we have an opportunity to take that same American-made fuel into a global maritime market."
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 913.50 | 2.00 | 1254.00 | 24.50 |
| Rotterdam | 740.50 | 5.00 | 1392.50 | 2.50 |
| Houston | 767.50 | 3.50 | 1384.50 | 21.50 |
| Fujairah | 967.00 | 3.50 | 1606.50 | 117.50 |
| Americas Average | 933.50 | 7.50 | 1649.00 | 5.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 903.50 | 5.50 | 1525.00 | 8.50 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 847.00 | 2.00 | 1409.00 | 42.00 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 954.50 | 4.00 | 1601.00 | 0.00 |
Popular Now More
-
Oct 12The tools also record won and lost bunker enquiries, giving trading desks a fuller history to support commercial decisions. -
Oct 19Key takeaways from the panel on the shipowner's fuel map of tomorrow. -
Oct 16The firm was removed from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's list of licensed bunker suppliers in 2023.