San Pedro Bay Ports seeks partners for methanol bunkering pilot project

The San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP), consisting of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has issued a call for maritime stakeholders to explore and help develop a pilot-scale methanol bunkering demonstration project.

As disclosed, the initiative—supported by C40 Cities, a global network of mayors working to tackle the climate crisis by endeavoring to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in half by 2030—is aimed at helping position California as one of the ‘leaders’ within the alternative fuel adoption landscape.

The San Pedro Bay Ports, considered the largest container gateway in the United States and one of the most emissions-intensive complexes in the Golden State, expects that this project could eventually provide a “replicable model” for other U.S. ports that are gearing up for the adoption of methanol—a fuel that has, in addition to ammonia, gained increased interest among maritime stakeholders.

Building on the Clean Air Action Plan and Green Shipping Corridor initiatives, the methanol bunkering pilot project at SPBP would seek to:

• Show operational feasibility by exploring whether methanol bunkering could be conducted safely, efficiently, and reliably at a major U.S. port;
• Collaborate with the United States Coast Guard, local fire departments as well as other governing bodies to set up a ‘streamlined’ permitting process and compliance frameworks for methanol fueling;
• Measure, collect and report on safety, emissions, logistics and crew training results to inform future standards;
• Support shipowners, suppliers and infrastructure providers that are investing in the necessary infrastructure, delivery systems and methanol-capable vessels by ensuring fuel availability and operational assistance at SPBP;
• Lower early-adopter risk by investigating opportunities for collaborative risk-sharing via public-private partnerships (PPPs) and other supportive mechanisms that could minimize early-phase risks and pave the way for future commercial operations;
• Create a national model based on SPBP’s efforts aimed at a wider adoption of clean marine fuels to align with state (as well as national and international) decarbonization targets and climate commitments.

The worldwide maritime industry has been undergoing major changes as ports, shipping lines and fuel suppliers try to speed up their efforts to slash emissions and transition to low- and zero-carbon fuels. Methanol has been recognized as a viable path toward net zero, particularly due to its sulfur-free properties and the ability to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).

Currently, it is believed that there are more than 300 methanol-capable vessels on order, with predictions that, by 2030, the world’s supply of green and low-carbon versions of this fuel could go well over 50 million tons per year.

Its environmental performance and decarbonization potential, however, depend on its production pathway, with renewable methanol (bio- and e-methanol) offering near-zero lifecycle emissions.

Beyond the U.S., ports around the world have already undergone and showcased methanol bunkering operations. The Port of Rotterdam, for example, has been supplying ships with this alternative fuel since the summer of 2023. China debuted its ‘first-ever’ methanol bunkering vessel, servicing the Shanghai Port, at the beginning of last year.

Moreover, the Port of Singapore, said to be the world’s top shipping center, recently pushed its methanol bunkering operations a step further, having introduced new standards for the safe handling, transfer and measurement of the fuel.

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