Maersk and Hong Lam Marine Pte Ltd have efficiently performed the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation of a Maersk container vessel, on 27 July 2023, on the Raffles Reserved Anchorage in Singapore, with the assist of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), authorities companies, and analysis institutes. That is additionally Singapore’s first methanol bunkering operation.
Maersk’s container vessel – the world’s first container vessel crusing on inexperienced methanol – was efficiently refuelled with roughly 300 t of bio-LNG by way of Hong Lam Marine’s Singapore-registered tanker, MT Agility, for its onward maiden passage to Copenhagen. MT Agility had earlier taken bio-LNG saved at Vopak terminals. The container vessel shall be named in a ceremony in Copenhagen in September 2023.
In preparation for the methanol bunkering operation in Singapore, MPA labored with over 28 companies, companions, and institutes to organise table-top workout routines (TTX) and workshops, earlier than finishing up a floor deployment train (GDX). The primary TTX was held throughout Singapore Maritime Week 2023 to determine security measures and make clear roles and tasks for a coordinated cross-agency response to a methanol incident at sea. A separate hazard identification (HAZID) and hazard and operability research (HAZOP) workshop was performed to determine potential dangers and develop corresponding prevention, management, and mitigation strategies. These have been additional evaluated throughout a second TTX and a GDX at sea in July 2023, with varied stakeholders and authorities companies. Customised methanol firefighting programme was additionally performed by the co-operation of SCDF Workers Ltd (COSEM) for MPA employees and Hong Lam Marine crew members as a part of the preparations for the bunkering operation.
As a part of the danger and environmental influence evaluation for the methanol bunkering operation, MPA reviewed methanol-related incidents globally and labored with the Meteorological Service of Singapore to supply advance lightning danger warning if required. A methanol plume mannequin was collectively developed by the Institute of Excessive Efficiency Computing (IHPC), A*STAR, Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), Nationwide College of Singapore, and the Expertise Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), to forecast the dispersion path of the methanol plume in an occasion of an unintended methanol launch and information operations. The mannequin is a mixture of dispersion within the air layer utilizing computational fluid dynamics by IHPC, climate forecast and air high quality modelling by TMSI, and plume dispersion within the sea by way of metocean modelling and prediction by TCOMS. In the course of the methanol bunkering operation, researchers from the Cambridge Centre for Superior Analysis and Training in Singapore flew drones geared up with methanol detector with plume modelling capabilities and infrared digicam from MPA’s patrol craft MPA Guardian to enhance the detection of potential methanol leaks into the ambiance and methanol flames in an occasion of an unintended leak. These novel capabilities shall be additional enhanced to assist the evaluation of responses to maritime incidents and lift the preparedness of seafarers, marine professionals, and the port ecosystem in Singapore as new marine fuels, akin to methanol, are launched.
A Technical Reference (TR) for methanol bunkering is being developed by MPA in session with the Requirements Growth Organisation at Singapore Chemical Trade Council (SDO@SCIC). The TR will cowl the refuelling necessities, operational and security necessities for supply of methanol from a bunker tanker to receiving vessels, crew coaching and competency. Finest practices learnt from this bunkering operation may also inform the event of specialized bunker vessels, mass stream meters, digital bunkering and different requirements.
Apart from the event of the Technical Reference, MPA will proceed to develop different operational and security protocols, licensing necessities, coaching of seafarers and professionals, and research infrastructure wants akin to terminal amenities and methanol carrying bunker tankers, to completely operationalise methanol bunkering. Learnings from the bunkering operation may also be offered to companions and worldwide our bodies such because the Worldwide Maritime Group later this yr to assist the secure adoption of methanol as a marine gasoline.
Teo Eng Dih, Chief Government, MPA, stated: “The success of the methanol bunkering operation is a results of practically a yr’s preparations with varied authorities companies, analysis institutes, worldwide collaborators, and business to develop rigorous security procedures by in-depth operational and danger assessments, modelling, and validation. This operation will assist inform the event of the varied requirements, together with the Technical Reference for methanol bunkering operations in Singapore, and information our method for future pilots and trials of recent marine fuels. We thank A.P. Moller-Maersk, Hong Lam Marine, American Bureau of Delivery (ABS), Mitsui & Co., OCI International, Stellar Shipmanagement and Vopak for his or her joint efforts with Singapore-based companies in operationalising methanol bunkering functionality and we welcome companions to work with us to speed up maritime decarbonisation.”
Morten Bo Christensen, Head of Vitality Transition at A.P. Moller – Maersk, commented: “A.P. Moller-Maersk is worked up to collaborate with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Mitsui & Co., ABS, and Hong Lam Marine on the maiden voyage of the world’s first container vessel crusing on inexperienced methanol. This journey is a vital step in our efforts to succeed in web zero greenhouse fuel emissions by 2040, as it is going to permit us to achieve the mandatory operational expertise to function the brand new engines and the gasoline offered by OCI International forward of the arrival of our bigger methanol-enabled vessels within the coming years.”
Lim Teck Cheng, Government Chairman, Hong Lam Marine, added: “We’re deeply honoured to be part of Singapore’s first STS methanol bunkering. This goes with our absolute dedication to supply a secure and environmentally pleasant choice to decarbonise the marine business according to IMO’s GHG emissions targets. This exceptional achievement marks a milestone and demonstrates our dedication to sustainability and environmental accountability, and we imagine this shall be a big step in accelerating the event of methanol bunkering in Singapore. We want to categorical our gratitude to our companions Maersk Oil Buying and selling and the MPA for his or her collaboration and assist on this endeavour. Collectively, we will make a optimistic distinction for planet earth and a extra sustainable future.”
Panos Koutsourakis, Vice President, International Sustainability, ABS, acknowledged: “We’re proud to have collaborated with Maersk, Mitsui, Hong Lam Marine, and the MPA to develop the methanol bunkering security procedures and checklists. This is a vital advance on our business’s sustainability journey, with a laser deal with security. Inexperienced methanol holds important promise to contribute to the decarbonisation of our business and ABS has been main the best way by supporting its adoption. This vessel and her successors now on order are an important step in creating extra sustainable world provide chains.”
Takuya Shirai, the Chief Working Officer of Mobility Enterprise Unit II of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., stated: “We’re extraordinarily proud to be a part of this epoch-making undertaking from the very starting. We imagine that the success of this ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation within the port of Singapore is just potential with the shut collaborating partnership amongst A.P. Moller-Maersk, ABS, Hong Lam Marine, the MPA, and related supporters on this undertaking. It represents a exceptional milestone to the journey in direction of the decarbonisation of worldwide transport. By means of this undertaking and different GHG discount initiatives, Mitsui is dedicated to the realisation of a carbon impartial society.”
Bashir Lebada, Chief Government Officer, OCI Methanol/OCI HyFuels, added: “We’re very proud to be the vessel’s gasoline companion, making the world’s first inexperienced methanol-fuelled container ship journey a actuality. The profitable bunkering operation in Singapore is a testomony to the exhausting work of the MPA and all of the concerned events, and this maiden voyage proves that we will obtain the marine business’s world greenhouse fuel emissions discount targets utilizing inexperienced methanol. Singapore shall be a necessary hub for us as we scale our inexperienced methanol and ammonia bunker enterprise, and we stay up for working with our native companions there to speed up the shift to cleaner fuels in transport.”
Kelvin Kang, Common Supervisor, Stellar Shipmanagement, exclaimed: “Stellar Shipmanagement is delighted to be a part of this HAZID/HAZOP and TTX dialogue group for the methanol bunkering operation. These discussions are essential and useful to our newbuilding methanol bunker tankers below building presently, together with structure, cargo dealing with, security options in addition to secure operation procedures. On behalf of our dad or mum firm International Vitality Group, we recognize MPA’s steady assist to the bunkering business in Singapore and the hunt to make Singapore because the entrance runner within the growth of the methanol bunkering.”
Rob Boudestijn, President, Enterprise Unit Singapore, Vopak, concluded: “We congratulate Singapore on this essential milestone and are proud to be a companion in finishing this methanol bunkering operation safely. As a dependable infrastructure supplier for maritime bunkering over the previous 40 years, we stay up for taking part in a number one position in enabling Singapore’s maritime decarbonisation journey within the multi-fuelled future.”
Learn the article on-line at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/04082023/first-bio-lng-bunkering-operation-completed-in-port-of-singapore/
