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InterManager urges EC to employ ‘polluter pays’ principle in environmental policy

Group is concerned ‘proposed legislation could miss its mark’ if it holds ship managers accountable for emissions reductions rather than target parties who control key pollution-related aspects in ship op.

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InterManager, Cyprus-registered global association representing the ship management sector, on Tuesday (23 May) urged the European Commission (EC) to follow the ‘polluter pays’ approach when finalising legislation intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping in European waters.

They highlighted concerns that proposed legislation could miss its mark if it holds ship management firms accountable for emissions reductions rather than target the parties who control key pollution-related aspects of ship operation such as fuel, machinery and vessel speed.

The Commission is set to finalise legislation which will include GHG emissions from maritime transport within the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) and ship management association InterManager, which represents 80% of the world’s largest ship management companies, has submitted a position paper to inform this discussion. Its concerns centre on the definition of the entity responsible for ETS compliance.

In its submission, InterManager, stated: “The huge financial risk imposed on ship managers by the revised ETS Directive is disproportionate to the negligible influence managers have in respect of the emissions generation by maritime transport. By directing compliance and enforcement measures at a party which is neither the polluter nor able to exert significant influence on the polluter, the current form of the revised ETS Directive significantly dilutes the incentives for polluters to reduce emissions. This is in direct conflict with the “polluter pays” principle, which is a key tenet of EU environmental policy.”

InterManager stressed that it recognises the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport and welcomes regulations designed to enable the shipping industry to decarbonise, including revisions to the EU-ETS to include maritime transport emissions within its scope.

However, it urged the Commission to word the regulation carefully to ensure the correct parties are in focus: “Under a Polluter Pays Scheme such as EU-ETS, the default responsible party should be the one controlling the highest number of emissions relevant aspects, not the one with the lowest.”

“As technical ship managers we take care of repairs, maintenance and crewing for, and on behalf, as agents of our customers the shipowners. Most of a vessel’s emission relevant key aspects are outside our remit – the speed, predominantly determining the consumption, as well as the trading area of the vessels are contractually agreed between shipowner and charterer in the Charter Party Contract, without involvement of the technical ship manager. The type of fuel used, the engines and other machinery installed on the vessels are decided by the shipowner when ordering or buying the vessel, also outside our remit,” it wrote.

InterManager Secretary General, Captain Kuba Szymanski, commented: “It would be patently unjust if the EU legislation forcibly imposed that the ship manager shall be the regulated entity, this would be similar to holding the facility manager responsible, not the factory owner.”

Noting the EU’s efforts to align the EU-ETS legislation with the shipping industry’s ISM Code, InterManager’s submission points out: “ISM is concerned with the safety of vessel operations in which we, as technical managers, do have a say as we provide the crew that operates the vessel in a safe manner as well as the procedural framework that allows them to do so. EU ETS is not geared towards safety but aims at reducing the environmental impact of shipping, which will require different fuels, different machinery and/or lower speeds – all decisions outside the remit of the technical ship manager.”

InterManager said it is an active participant at the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations maritime regulatory body, where it holds Non-Governmental Organisational (NGO) status. 

 

Photo credit: InterManager
Published: 24 May, 2023

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China: Chimbusco and BJEC enter green methanol cooperation agreement

Document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

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Chimbusco x BJEC MT

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd. (Chimbusco) and POWERCHINA Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited (BJEC) on Thursday (3 July) formally entered into a green methanol strategic cooperation framework agreement.

The document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

BJEC, a subsidiary of China Power Engineering Group, is experienced in the survey, design, construction and technology research and development of large-scale renewable energy projects.

Moving forward, the two parties said they will respectively focus on their core advantages and work together to promote the production, supply, storage and refuelling of green methanol as an energy source to help support the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

Ding Lihai said: “The shipping industry is one of the important sources of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon fuel is the key to the transformation of the industry. As the main force in the supply of bunker fuel, Chimbusco has been committed to expanding its clean fuel supply capacity. The cooperation with BJEC will integrate the advantages of green energy development and fuel supply, accelerate the large-scale application of green methanol, and meet the needs of shipping companies for clean fuel. We look forward to providing effective solutions for the green transformation of the shipping industry through the joint efforts of both parties.”

Li Jianjun said: “Implementing the ‘dual carbon’ goal is an important responsibility of enterprises. BJEC has accumulated strong technical strength in the field of green energy. This cooperation with Chimbusco will focus on the entire industrial chain of green methanol, from raw materials, production to supply, to provide clean and sustainable fuel solutions for the shipping industry. The complementary advantages of both parties will promote the rapid development of the green methanol industry and inject strong impetus into the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.”

 

Photo credit: China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd.
Published: 8 July 2025

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Towngas and Royal Vopak collaborate to expand green methanol supply chain network

‘Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said its Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

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Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Vopak China Management Co., Ltd. (Royal Vopak) on Tuesday (8 July) said both recently signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to collaborate in areas such as green methanol production, storage, bunkering, and trading etc.

Focusing on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Asia-Pacific markets, both parties are joining forces to expand an efficient green methanol supply chain network and support the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.

The two parties will capitalise on their respective strengths to expand the supply network of green methanol.

Towngas employs proprietary technology to convert agricultural and forestry waste as well as scrap tyres into green methanol, and has obtained multiple international certifications and provides a sufficient supply of green methanol for maritime fuel bunkering.

Royal Vopak provides green methanol storage and terminal services with its comprehensive storage and terminal infrastructure and coastal port network advantages.

Together, the two parties will achieve efficient resource allocation and ship green methanol to the Greater Bay Area, East China, South China, and the broader Asia-Pacific markets, further expanding the green methanol supply chain network.

Towngas and Royal Vopak will further develop multiple areas of regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging the strengths of the ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the partnership will focus on “production and storage synergy” as its core to strengthen cooperation around logistics and terminal facility construction, and to build an integrated green methanol storage and transportation network.

In East China, the two parties will centre their collaboration in Shanghai and Ningbo, two major international ports, to further strengthen cooperation in logistics storage and bunkering facility construction to meet the growing demand for green fuels at both ports.

In the Bohai Bay region, with Tianjin as the strategic hub, Towngas will transport green methanol produced at its northern China production base to Royal Vopak’s local storage tank farm, then achieve resource allocation through the Royal Vopak’s distribution network, supporting the supply of green methanol from northern China to the national and Asia-Pacific markets.

The two parties will also target key export markets, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, to accelerate overseas expansion and boost the market competitiveness of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said Sham Man-fai, Towngas Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

“It was completed with the support of Royal Vopak’s Tianjin storage tank farm facilities, laying a solid foundation for this partnership.

“Towngas’s Inner Mongolia green methanol plant is set to increase its annual capacity from 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to 300,000 tonnes by 2028. Together with Royal Vopak’s storage and terminal services infrastructure and coastal port network, the two parties will build a comprehensive green methanol supply chain network.”

 

Photo credit: Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Published: 8 July 2025

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SEKAVIN starts new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay

Operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E.

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SEKAVIN BARGE

Piraeus-based bunkering firm SEKAVIN on Monday (7 July) said it has recently started new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay.

The operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E. The bunkering vessels have successfully completed numerous deliveries to seagoing vessels.

According to SEKAVIN, Istanbul represents one of the world’s most strategic and challenging maritime environments. The country sees more than 43,000 annual Bosphorus passages and delivers roughly 2 million metric tons per year in bunkers to receiving ships.

In a statement to Manifold Times, John Tsogas, Global Head of Bunkering at SEKAVIN, noted his company intends to offer partners “a very reliable and flexible service” covering the Northeast Med with Istanbul.

The development is in combination with the bunkering firm’s current physical operations in Syros port, together with their traditional Piraeus physical operations which have been carried out for almost 50 years.

Related: SEKAVIN and GCL to strengthen marine fuel supply and logistics in key bunkering hubs

 

Photo credit: SEKAVIN
Published: 8 July 2025

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