With a new long-term charter of bunker tanker MT NORE, Bunker One is taking a major step into catering for future methanol bunkering in and around Scandinavian waters and the Northwest European region. This step further makes the strait between Denmark and Sweden able to support the green transition by offering the necessary infrastructure for last-mile delivery of alternative fuels to ships.

Bunker One, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fuel and lube to the shipping industry, can now support ships passing by Gothenburg and Skaw with methanol as an alternative fuel. Bunker One has signed a long-term charter of the tanker MT NORE, which as of May 2023, received all bunkering permits and certifications for operating in the region. MT NORE is the fourth bunker tanker in Bunker One Sweden’s fleet.

“Gothenburg, Skaw and the entire Scandinavian region is one of our most important bunkering hubs with significant vessel traffic passing through the area, so to start building the infrastructure and have it in place is going to send a strong signal to our customers that if they bet on building ships powered by carbon emissions reducing products, we will be ready to supply them,” says Peter Zachariassen, CEO of Bunker One.

Carbon-reduced fuel in shipping is vital towards IMO’s goals of a 50 per cent greenhouse gas reduction in 2050. This makes the investment in alternative bunkering infrastructure all the more necessary.

New product, same experience

Bunker One Sweden’s Chief Operating Officer, Petter Jonason, has been working hard to prepare the operation, securing the necessary certifications to operate. Even though the product is different, all operational preparations still come naturally to Bunker One, as it is still bunkering at the end of the day.

“We’ve been working for some time, getting the landside infrastructure in place, chartering the tanker, and getting the licenses from the maritime authorities. But it all still feels like something that we’ve tried before. We are experts when it comes to supplying the maritime industry, which is no different whether it is conventional fuel or alternative products,” says Petter Jonason.

Being ready to supply alternative products in Scandinavia marks a significant event for the rest of the maritime industry. However, with some shipping and logistics companies still in the planning phase of investing in new ships with alternative engine fuel, the possibility of bunkering methanol is extremely valuable in terms of assisting them in their decision-making process.

“Even though many of our customers are not ready to bunker methanol today will not hold us back,” says Peter Zachariassen, further explaining:

“Purchasing new fleets with alternative fuel as propulsion is a daring investment to ship owners, but we firmly believe that if we build the infrastructure, they will have one less thing to hold them back. New ships and alternative fuels will be necessary for the long run in the green transition. So, for now, we believe in taking leadership and becoming ready to transition towards carbon-reduced products. That is the only way change is coming around,” says Peter Zachariassen

MT NORE will serve as a multi-fuel bunkering tanker with 3,500-ton storage, which can be split with different products among her tank pairs.