Asia/Pacific News
Chinese Firms Position Methanol as Main Clean Fuel for the Future
Two major Chinese shipping firms now see methanol as their main alternative fuel choice for the future.
Xie Chunlin, chairman of China Merchants Energy Shipping, and Gu Jinsong, chairman of COSCO Shipping Bulk, met this week to discuss their two firms' cooperation and views on decarbonisation, XInde Marine News reported on Friday.
During the meeting the two executives 'proposed to make methanol as the main clean fuel in the future', according to the report.
A vote of confidence on this scale from China could come as a major boost to the prospects of the nascent methanol bunkering industry.
Container shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk has said its first carbon-neutral ships will run on methanol, with the first vessel due for delivery in the middle of next year, and CMA CGM has also recently ordered methanol-fuelled tonnage.
Significant further work to build up the scale of green methanol production and delivery infrastructure will be needed before methanol can become a mainstream alternative fuel choice at the same scale as LNG.
