X-Press Feeders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six European ports to collaborate on sustainable marine operations.
Signatories include the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the Port of Tallinn, the Port of Helsinki, the Port of Hamina-Kotka, the Freeport of Riga and Klaipeda Port.
Under the terms of the MoU, the parties would collaborate to create infrastructure for the provision and bunkering of alternative fuels such as green methanol.
Parties shall also support the establishment of supply chains for fuels with zero or near-zero GHG emissions.
Furthermore, the corporations want to give additional training programmes for port staff and sailors on how to handle alternative fuels, as well as use digital platforms to improve port call optimisation.
READ: OCI Global, X-Press Feeders ink green methanol offtake agreement
The collaboration between the parties will begin with the establishment of these two shipping routes:
- Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX): Rotterdam > Antwerp Bruges > Klaipeda > Riga > Rotterdam
- Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX): Rotterdam > Antwerp Bruges > Helsinki > Tallinn > HaminaKotka > Rotterdam
These services are set to begin in Q3 2024. This achievement is notable since they will be Europe’s first scheduled feeder routes fuelled by green methanol, an alternative fuel that emits at least 60 per cent less GHG than traditional marine fuel.
The green methanol used by X-Press Feeders reportedly comes from fuel provider OCI Global. OCI’s green methanol has been independently verified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Association, based in Germany.
The ISCC system encourages and validates the sustainable production of biomass, circular and bio-based materials and renewables.
READ: X-Press Feeders to launch Baltic-Scandinavia green shipping routes
X-Press Feeders’ Chief Operating Officer, Francis Goh, said: “By working together – X-Press Feeders and the six partner ports – aim to efficiently implement green shipping corridors and lead the maritime industry in sustainability.
“We chose the Nordic and Baltic states as the first markets to deploy our green methanol powered vessels because we found the ports and our customers in these markets to be very receptive.”
