X-Press Feeders Targets Shift to E-Methanol Within 3-5 Years

Bastian Brueckmann is operations manager at X-Press Feeders. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker

Container shipping firm X-Press Feeders is expecting to shift some of its fleet over to using synthetic methanol within the next five years.

The company ordered eight methanol-fuelled feeder vessels in 2021 and another six in 2023, which it expects to receive by the end of next year, Bastian Brueckmann, operations manager at X-Press Feeders, said at the Argus Biofuels Europe conference in London on Tuesday.

While the initial plan is to run these ships on biomethanol, the company is expecting a shift to synthetic methanol before long.

"The next step for us will be to increase it further to e-methanol, to make it 100% net-zero," Brueckmann said at the conference.

"That will come hopefully way before 2050, I hope; we're targeting around 2028-29ish.

"Not for all 14 vessels, that's quite clear; there's a quite big variance on cost compared to conventional fuels.

"But two to four vessels will run on e-methanol within, let's say, three to five years."

A company representative told Ship & Bunker that the plans are not yet set in stone.

"We are actively using biomethanol across our fleet, and while we are exploring e-methanol options for some of our vessels, these discussions remain in the early stages and will depend on supplier availability and market conditions<" the company representative said.

"Our long-term target is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and while we are working to accelerate this, we cannot confirm exact dates for full e-methanol adoption at this point."