Yokohama drops port fees for ships using methanol and B24 bunker fuel from 1 January

The Yokohama Port and Harbor Bureau recently said it is working to establish a carbon-neutral port, aiming to achieve a decarbonised society by 2050. 

From 1 January 2026, the bureau launched an incentive programme to exempt ships from port entrance fees for methanol-fuelled vessels and vessels that have received at least 300 metric tonnes (mt) of biofuel blend with a ratio of 24% or higher, at the Port of Yokohama.

The port already exempts LNG-fuelled vessels, excluding LNG carriers, and LNG bunkering vessels from the fees. 

The bureau said the city is working toward the implementation of methanol bunkering in Japan, conducting simulations with companies such as Maersk, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, and Idemitsu to promote the use of methanol as a marine fuel. 

It added that several shipping companies have also begun biofuel bunkering operations in the Port of Yokohama. 

“In collaboration with the national government and private companies, we are advancing initiatives such as enhancing decarbonisation-friendly features in our port,” the bureau said in a statement. 

“The goals are to promote the International Container Strategic Port Policy and to strengthen our portʼs automobile cargo handling capacity, which is the largest in eastern Japan.”

Photo credit: Daesun Kim on Unsplash
Published: 2 January, 2026