Methanol

Cepsa and A.P. Moller-owned C2X to develop the largest green methanol plant in Europe

Both announced a joint project to provide green methanol for multiple industries including shipping by developing a green methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain.

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2023

Admin

Cepsa and A.P. Moller-owned C2X to develop the largest green methanol plant in Europe

Cepsa, which is owned by Mubadala and Carlyle, and C2X, an independent company majority owned by A.P. Moller Holding with A.P. Moller – Maersk as minority owner, on Friday (1 December) announced a joint project to provide green methanol for multiple industries including shipping by developing a green methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain.

The project’s aim is to reach an estimated annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of green methanol, which Cepsa calculates would prevent the emission of up to 1 million tonnes of CO2. The plant would have the capacity to reach a maximum production of 380,000 tonnes. A final investment decision for this project, which would entail an investment of up to EUR 1 billion (USD 1.08 billion), is expected to be made in 2025.

If approved, the project has the opportunity to create 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, further supporting the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley being developed by Cepsa and its partners with an ambition to reach a green hydrogen production capacity of 2GW by 2030. Some of the green hydrogen produced will supply the new green methanol facility.

The project will place Andalusia as one of the most competitive locations globally for the production and transportation of green molecules thanks to its renewable electricity capacity and industrial and port infrastructure, positioning Spain as a leading sustainable energy hub and securing independent and affordable clean energy for Europe.

The project was presented at COP28 in Dubai with the participation of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; Spanish Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera; Brian Davis, CEO C2X; and Maarten Wetselaar, CEO Cepsa.

Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselaar, said: “This partnership is another milestone in our strategy to make Spain a European hub for green molecules this decade, with viable projects to reduce emissions in sectors that are difficult and urgent to decarbonise. We will work with the Spanish government to develop the regulatory framework needed for this project to be successful and scalable.”

C2X CEO Brian Davis, said: “We see a growing demand for green methanol to help industries like shipping, aviation and chemicals move away from fossil-carbon based alternatives. While this project has strong fundamentals it will need an enabling framework in order to offer a competitive source of green methanol to its target customers. We look forward to working with Cepsa and the Spanish government as we develop the project.”

The partnership between Cepsa and C2X follows a protocol of collaboration agreed between A.P. Moller - Maersk and the government of Spain in November 2022 to explore the possibilities of producing green fuels in the country. This partnership is also in line with the declarations made at governmental level by Spain and Denmark to increase their bilateral cooperation in green energy transition.

Manifold Times previously reported C2X announcing it was moving forward in the development of its second production site.

C2X said it has successfully concluded the first phase to secure the concession for a 47ha large site for green methanol production within the Port of Huelva, Southern Spain.

Photo credit: Cepsa
Published: 4 December, 2023

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Alternative Fuels

Argus Green Marine Fuels Asia eBook released ahead of February bunker conference

eBook features interviews with Microsoft, JERA, IBIA, Anglo American, Sumitomo Corporation, Hafnia, BHP, Global Maritime Forum, DS NORDEN, ADNOC Group, and Standard Chartered Bank.

Published

2 days ago

January 17, 2025

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Argus Media organises Green Marine Fuels Asia Conference in Singapore

Independent global energy and commodity market intelligence provider Argus Media recently published an eBook as part of a prelude leading towards the Argus Green Marine Fuels Asia Conference on 18 to 19 February in Singapore.

The Pre-conference content: Argus marine fuels Asia eBook features exclusive industry interviews with Microsoft, JERA, IBIA, Anglo American, Sumitomo Corporation, Hafnia, BHP, Global Maritime Forum, DS NORDEN, ADNOC Group, and Standard Chartered Bank.

It offers a peek into their thoughts on infrastructure readiness, the marine fuels shipowners are gravitating towards, LNG decarbonisation pathways, collaboration across the marine fuels value chain, and more.

The eBook is available for download through the image below:

The Argus Green Marine Fuels Asia Conference will be held at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039594 on 18 to 19 February in Singapore.

Key speakers for the event include Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry & Transformation), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA); Torben Nørgaard, Chief Technology Officer - Energy & Fuels, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center; Jerid Soo, Assistant General Manager (Global Sustainability and ESG), Pacific International Lines; Kazuki Yamaguchi, General Manager and Head, Maritime Energy Solution, Energy Transformation Business Group, Sumitomo Corporation; and Mahua Chakravarty, Editor, Marine Fuels (Asia), Argus.

Photo credit: Argus Media
Published: 17 January, 2024

Methanol

Maersk aims to deploy 19 methanol dual-fuel vessels by end of 2025

Firm is also anticipating the arrival of the first e-methanol volumes from European Energy’s Kassø facility in Denmark, a significant milestone in sourcing methanol, says Leonardo Sonzio of Maersk.

Published

2 days ago

January 17, 2025

Admin

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) on Thursday (16 January) said it has set its sights to deploy at least 19 methanol dual-fuel vessels by the end of this year.

Leonardo Sonzio, Head of Fleet Management and Technology at Maersk, said this when sharing the company’s vision for 2025 in a video.

He also said the company is anticipating the arrival of the first e-methanol volumes from European Energy’s Kassø facility in Denmark, a significant milestone in sourcing methanol.

Manifold Times previously reported Maersk identifying its partners to produce green fuel for its first vessel to operate on carbon neutral methanol: REintegrate, a subsidiary of the Danish renewable energy company European Energy.

Sonzio said looking ahead, Maersk envisions a future of fuel diversity with methanol, biomethane, biodiesel and possibly ammonia co-existing.

Last year, Maersk ordered 20 LNG dual-fuel vessels capable of sailing on biomethane.

“And this year, we still have the option to change the newbuild specification to methanol dual fuel,” he said.

“Clarity on fuel providers and the regulatory environment will be key to this decision.”

He added 2025 is a pivotal year for the energy transition of Maersk’s fleet.

He said there is a need for global regulations this year from the International Maritime Organization to bridge the price gap between fossil fuels and emission-reducing alternatives.

“Collaboration remains at the heart of our efforts, as we work closely with regulators, industry peers, and customers to overcome challenges and accelerate the energy transition”, Sonzio added.

Photo credit: A.P. Moller - Maersk
Published: 17 January, 2025

Bunker Fuel

Singapore annual bunker fuel sales soar to a record high in 2024

Total bunker sales registered a new high of 54.92 million mt in 2024; increased uptake was partly due to the extended Asia-Europe shipping routes via Cape of Good Hope given disruptions in the Red Sea.

Published

3 days ago

January 16, 2025

Admin

Singapore’s annual vessel arrival tonnage, total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag, container throughput, total bunker sales, and sales of alternative bunker fuels, reached new highs in 2024, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on Wednesday (15 January).

These were among some of the announcements by Mr Murali Pillai, Minister of State for Law and Transport, at the annual Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) New Year Conversations event. Mr Murali said that despite strained global supply chains, Maritime Singapore has maintained strong growth momentum in 2024 and looks forward to continued steady growth in 2025.

Total bunker sales registered a new high of 54.92 million metric tonnes (mt), marking a 6.0% year-on-year increase from 51.82 million mt recorded in 2023.

The increased uptake was partly due to the extended Asia-Europe shipping routes via the Cape of Good Hope given the disruptions in the Red Sea.

Singapore made steady progress as the world’s largest bunkering port, supplying over a sixth of the total fuel used by global shipping.

Sales of alternative bunker fuels exceeded one million tonnes for the first time to reach 1.34 million tonnes in 2024, a year-on-year doubling. Specifically, the sale of biofuel blends grew from 0.52 million tonnes in 2023 to 0.88 million tonnes.

Biofuel blends of up to B50 are available commercially with trials of up to B100 on-going. LNG increased from 0.11 million tonnes in 2023 to 0.46 million tonnes.

An Expression of Interest was launched in December 2024 to explore scalable solutions for sea-based LNG reloading to complement the existing onshore LNG bunkering storage and jetty capacities and support the supply of e-/bio methane as marine fuel in Singapore. Methanol was available on a commercial scale and registered 1,626 mt, while 9.74 mt of ammonia was bunkered for the first time globally in trials in Singapore.

As part of the pro-enterprise rules review exercise led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to help lower business costs, MPA will reduce the verification frequency of mass flow meters from twice to once a year, starting 1 April 2025. This aligns with the updated

SS648:2024 standards and is expected to save the industry approximately SGD 300,000 a year. Risk-based audits will continue as the industry undertakes the transition.

As a leading International Maritime Centre, Singapore is home to close to 200 international shipping groups. In addition, more than 30 maritime companies spanning shipping, legal, insurance, shipbroking, and marine tech sectors, have established or expanded their operations in Singapore during the year. Notably, classification society RINA announced the set-up of its Open Innovation Hub in Singapore.

Total business spending by key maritime companies overseen by MPA increased to SGD 5.2 billion in 2024, up from SGD 4.8 billion the previous year.

Electronic Bunker Delivery Notes

From 1 April 2025, all bunker suppliers will need to provide digital bunkering services and issue electronic bunker delivery (e-BDN) notes by default. A standard for digital bunkering supply chain documentation (SS709:2024) was also published in November 2024.

Singapore is the first port to implement digital bunkering at scale for bunkering operations following approval by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to use eBDN at the 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2023.

New Fuels

To support the operationalisation of ammonia bunkering, EnterpriseSG and MPA will develop the Singapore standards for ammonia bunkering by 2025.

The lead developer for a low- or zero-carbon ammonia power generation and bunkering solution on Jurong Island under the Request for Proposal launched by MPA and the Energy Market Authority of Singapore is expected to be announced in 2025.

MPA is also currently developing the Technical Reference for methanol bunkering, which will cover safety procedures, crew competencies, custody transfer requirements, and the framework to govern the use of the MFM and digital documentation records for methanol bunkering. This Technical Reference is expected to be released in 2025.

MPA, together with Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Standards Council, industry stakeholders, and academia, has developed a Technical Reference (TR) for electric harbour craft (e-HC) charging and battery swap systems to support the development of the e-HC charging infrastructure and ecosystem in the Port of Singapore. Details of the TR will be announced in the coming months.

Photo credit: Murali Pillai Facebook page
Published: 16 January, 2024