Stena Provident, one of six state-of-the-art methanol fuelled IMOIIMeMAX ships commissioned through the partnership between Proman and Stena Bulk, completed the first ever methanol bunkering at the Port of Savannah, in Georgia, US on 29th February 2024. The vessel, which is time-chartered by Bahri Chemicals, successfully loaded almost 1000 MT of methanol at Colonial Terminals’ Lathrop 2 facility, in an historic first for the port.
The landmark represents another step forward for methanol as a marine fuel. 2023 saw a record number of orders for methanol-fuelled vessels, as its benefits as a cleaner burning fuel were further understood. According to DNV, the number of methanol-fuelled ships in operation will more than double this year, with over 250 such ships in operation by the end of 2026.
Anita Gajadhar, Executive Director of Marketing and Logistics at Proman, said: “Savannah is a significant port and completing the first ever methanol bunkering here underlines the growing demand for methanol as a marine fuel, and the increasing industry acceptance of its role on the pathway to achieving a lower-emission future for the shipping sector.
Our fleet of methanol fuelled vessels have been in operation around the world for over 20 months and we are proud to be enabling others to gain valuable operational experience of using methanol as a marine fuel by time chartering Stena Provident and other ships in the fleet. The bunkering was made possible thanks to the collaboration with Bahri Chemicals and Colonial Terminals, and I am sure it marks the first of many methanol refuellings at the port”.
