MB Energy completes methanol bunkering pilot in Germany

German bunker supplier MB Energy has completed a biomethanol bunkering trial with a cruise ship at the Port of Kiel.

IMAGE: Truck to ship methanol bunkering pilot of Mein Schiff 7 Cruise vessel in Kiel. MB Energy

TUI Cruises-owned methanol-capable cruise ship Mein Schiff 7 was bunkered with 25 cbm of biomethanol at the port.

MB Energy supplied the fuel, which was delivered by truck to the vessel at the Ostseekai Cruise Terminal by logistics firm Johannes Martens Spedition.

The delivery truck also ran on 100% hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100) to reduce emissions associated with the fuel's delivery, MB Energy said.

The biomethanol supplied during the pilot will mainly be used for the vessel's boiler operations.

But the trial showed the port's infrastructure and safety readiness for methanol bunkering and its own ability to handle and supply the fuel “for major clients” in northern Europe, it added.

MB Energy is upgrading its Hamburg-Blumensand storage facility to support larger supplies of low-emission methanol and ammonia. It plans to use Hamburg and Kiel as its main supply hubs in northern Germany, with potential to expand to other European ports.

By Konica Bhatt

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