By Jin Lu

Zhejiang province has completed its first ship-to-ship green methanol bunkering operation at the Meishan port area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port on April 22, marking a new step in the port's alternative marine fuel capabilities.

A total of 503 metric tons of green methanol was supplied to COSCO Shipping Libra, a 20,000-TEU dual-fuel container ship, by the bunkering vessel Da Qing 268. The operation took about one hour.

With the latest operation, Ningbo Zhoushan Port is now among a small number of ports in China capable of ship-to-ship bunkering for liquefied natural gas, biofuel and methanol.

Ship-to-ship bunkering is the most widely used methanol refuelling method internationally. Compared with truck-to-ship operations, it is faster and better suited to large vessels, aligning with the port's high container throughput and tight scheduling demands.

Green methanol is increasingly viewed as a key alternative fuel for the shipping industry's low-carbon transition, due to its lower sulphur and nitrogen emissions and significantly reduced life-cycle carbon footprint.

However, methanol is flammable, explosive and toxic, and its vapors can accumulate, making handling more complex than conventional marine fuels. The bunkering process also requires close coordination between vessels, port operators and port-side agencies.

To ensure safety, Ningbo maritime authorities have put in place a layered supervision system covering key risk points across the entire bunkering operation.