500,000-litre operation at the Port of Santos marks a breakthrough for bioethanol as a marine fuel and demonstrates the industry’s ability to safely deliver a new fuel at commercial scale 

Rio de Janeiro – Bunker One has completed Latin America’s first bioethanol bunkering operation for an ocean-going vessel, delivering 500,000 litres of anhydrous ethanol to the CMA CGM IRON at the Port of Santos, Brazil. 

The fuel was supplied by Copersucar, one of the world’s leading sugar and bioethanol companies, for delivery to CMA CGM IRON, CMA CGM’s first 13,000 TEU container vessel equipped with a certified tri-fuel engine capable of operating on bioethanol. Bunker One executed the bunkering operation using its barge DONA ISA.

The operation is believed to be the first bioethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the region, moving bioethanol from a concept into a commercially executed marine fuel solution.

“The question is no longer whether bioethanol can be used as a marine fuel. It is whether it can be supplied safely and reliably at the point of demand. This operation demonstrates Bunker One’s ability to bring together the expertise, infrastructure and execution required to make that happen.”

 

Peter Zachariassen, CEO of Bunker One

A test of operational readiness

The successful delivery highlights a growing reality for shipping’s energy transition: developing new fuels is only part of the challenge. The industry must also establish practical methods for storing, transporting and supplying those fuels safely at ports around the world.

For bunker suppliers, that shifts the focus from fuel availability alone to operational readiness.

“More than a pioneering bunkering operation, we are building the conditions for ethanol to become part of the navigation energy matrix in a competitive way, expanding Brazil’s leading role in the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

 

Tomás Manzano, President of Copersucar 

For Brazil, the operation also highlights the potential role of the country’s established bioethanol industry in serving global shipping markets. By combining Copersucar’s bioethanol supply capabilities with Bunker One’s bunkering execution, the operation established a practical link between Brazilian renewable fuel production and the demand for alternative marine fuels. 

“Brazil already possesses one of the world’s most mature and scalable bioethanol supply chains. This operation demonstrates how that capability can be connected to international shipping through safe and reliable bunkering infrastructure.”

 

Flavio Ribeiro, Managing Director, Bunker One LatAm

A low-flashpoint fuel under real operating conditions

For all the attention surrounding bioethanol as a marine fuel, commercial bunkering operations remain limited globally because handling low-flashpoint fuels requires a different operational approach than conventional marine fuels.

Prior to the operation, Bunker One’s barge DONA ISA underwent dedicated technical preparation, including cargo tank conditioning, transfer procedure development, emergency response planning, crew training and implementation of specialised safety measures for bioethanol handling.

Bunker One also incorporated the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) checklist for low-flashpoint fuel operations and established a dedicated Emergency Response Plan for the delivery.

Crew members, operational personnel and HSE teams participated in both theoretical and practical training programmes before the operation was executed.