China: SIPG Energy conducts green methanol bunkering operation of “Antonia Maersk”

SIPG Energy Shanghai recently said it successfully completed a green methanol bunkering operation at Guandong Wharf of Yangshan Port on Sunday (11 May).

The company’s methanol bunkering vessel Hai Gang Zhi Yuan successfully refuelled container ship Antonia Maersk with 8,000 metric tonnes of methanol fuel in a simultaneous ship-to-ship bunkering and cargo operation.

The event marked a milestone in Shanghai Port’s efforts to establish a regular methanol fuel bunkering supply chain.

The total capacity of the Hai Gang Zhi Yuan is 16,000 cubic meters, which can meet the large-scale methanol fuel filling needs. The bunker vessel is reportedly the largest methanol bunkering ship currently in operation in China.

The advanced refuelling equipment on board has high-precision flow control, pressure regulation function and ESD response and other automated monitoring systems, which can monitor the liquid level, temperature, pressure and other parameters of methanol in real time, and build a solid safety line for filling operations in complex environments at night.

As a key link in the methanol fuel supply chain of Shanghai Port, Yangshan Shengang has advanced loading and unloading and storage facilities. 

The terminal is equipped with methanol loading and unloading arms and efficient conveying pipelines, which can quickly and safely unload methanol from transport ships to terminal storage tanks. 

The methanol storage facility with ISCC certification has a capacity of 140,000 m³ and adopts advanced sealing and temperature control technology to ensure the stability of methanol quality during storage.

SIPG Energy Shanghai is integrating upstream and downstream resources to build a methanol fuel resource pool and a full-chain methanol fuel supply system covering docks, storage, transportation and refueling operations, contributing to the establishment of the Shanghai Port Green Energy Hub. 

On 5 May, Hai Gang Zhi Yuan also reportedly refuelled container ship HMM Forest with 3,110 mt of green methanol in a simultaneous ship-to-ship bunkering and cargo operation at the Yangshan Phase IV Automated Terminal of Shanghai Port.

The domestically produced green methanol was produced in Inner Mongolia and transported to Shanghai Port by land and sea. It meets the ISCC-EU certification standards and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 70% over the entire life cycle.

Photo credit: SIPG Energy Shanghai
Published: 20 May, 2025