Port Of Rotterdam Conducts First Ethanol Bunkering Operation For Sea-Going Vessel

Last weekend, the container ship Eco Levant, operated by X-Press Feeders, was bunkered with ethanol in the port of Rotterdam. It is one of the first times worldwide, and the first time in Rotterdam, that a bunker vessel supplied ethanol to a sea-going vessel.

Blend of ethanol and methanol

The vessel has been operating on a blend of ethanol and methanol since the bunkering.

The fuel blend consisted of 90% ISCC EU-certified biomethanol and 10% ISCC EU-certified second-generation ethanol and was safely bunkered under controlled operational conditions. Methanol bunkering is already well established.

Ethanol and methanol were bunkered separately on the sea-going vessel. Both fuels were delivered separately by a single inland bunker vessel, and the batches were mixed (blended) on board the receiving vessel.

Tankmatch, a leading barge operator and expert in methanol bunkering, supplied the methanol and ethanol with their bunker barge MTS Experience.

Strong potential to reduce CO2 emissions

X-Press Feeders is the world’s largest independent feeder shipping company. The company operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels and serves more than 180 ports worldwide.

Shivendu Gadkar, Head of Fleet Efficiency and Performance at X-Press Feeders: ‘Maritime fuels continue to evolve. At X-Press Feeders, we believe it’s essential to continue to evaluate workable solutions and develop them further — solutions that contribute to reducing our fleet’s emissions.’

METHANAVE is a specialist consultancy and implementation company in the field of alternative maritime fuels, focusing on methanol and ethanol projects for shipping. Morten Jacobsen, Methanave: ‘This project demonstrates the flexibility of alternative fuels such as methanol and ethanol in shipping and illustrates how collaboration across the supply chain can accelerate implementation.’

Matthijs van Doorn, commercial director at the Port of Rotterdam Authority: ‘This milestone demonstrates that Rotterdam is ready for a wide range of alternative fuels. Together with all parties in the port, we aim to enable the bunkering of all alternative, low-carbon fuels in the future, promoting greater sustainability for international shipping. This will allow us to fulfil our ambition to become the leading bunker port for sustainable fuels.’

Rotterdam prepares for all renewable fuels

Rotterdam is the world’s second-largest bunker port, with approximately ten million tonnes of fuel bunkered annually. Rotterdam is fully committed to various alternative fuels. For example, the port successfully conducted an ammonia bunkering pilot in 2025.