X-Press Feeders sets course for sustainable shipping with First Green Methanol Refuelling in Singapore

SINGAPORE : X-Press Feeders, the world’s largest independent common carrier, along with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and PSA Singapore achieved a historic milestone towards sustainable shipping with the arrival in Singapore and successful refuelling of X-Press Feeders’ first dual-fuel vessel. This vessel, the first to dock and refuel with green methanol in the Port of Singapore, underlines the nation’s commitment to supporting the transition to renewable fuels in the global maritime industry.

This technologically advanced vessel, the first of its kind to be built in China, is equipped with a German-designed MAN 5S50ME dual-fuel engine and offers the flexibility to operate on green methanol. It is on its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam, with the crucial stop here in Singapore where X-Press Feeders and PSA today worked together to refuel the vessel while cargo was being loaded and unloaded.

“This milestone represents a significant leap forward for X-Press Feeders and the global maritime industry,” said Francis Goh, X-Press Feeders’ Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud to lead the way in developing and implementing innovative solutions that will drastically reduce the maritime shipping industry’s environmental footprint. By pioneering the use of dual-fuel vessels, we are taking significant steps today to meet the targets for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”

The vessel will play a pivotal role in establishing in Q3 2024 X-Press Feeders’ new green feeder routes – the Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX) and Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX). This will be the first feeder network in Europe powered by green methanol.

The routes will be:

Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX): Rotterdam > Antwerp Bruges > Klaipeda > Riga > Rotterdam
Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX): Rotterdam > Antwerp Bruges > Helsinki > Tallinn > HaminaKotka > Rotterdam
X-Press Feeders received in mid-May the first of 14 dual-fuel ships on order. The first vessel was delivered from the New Yangzijiang Shipyard.

X-Press Feeders’ green methanol powered feeder routes will be centred in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp Bruges, where the shipping line has a firm contract with Dutch fuel supplier OCI Global to supply its dual-fuel vessels with green methanol. OCI Global is the world’s leading green methanol producer. OCI’s green methanol is ISCC EU (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certified and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 65%.

Also known as bio-methanol, the fuel is a renewable energy source produced from the decomposition of organic matter, such as waste and residues.

About X-Press Feeders

X-Press Feeders, which was founded in Singapore in 1972, is the world’s largest independent common carrier. Starting out in Southeast Asia, we are now operating throughout Asia, Middle East, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, Mediterranean and Europe. As ‘The Global Common Carrier’, our mission is to provide the best feeder solutions and be the feeder carrier of choice. X-Press Feeders as an independent common carrier does not own, lease, or operate any containers. We provide transportation services only to container operators and not to proprietary cargo interests or the general shipping public, allowing us to act as a trustworthy and completely impartial contractor. X-Press Feeders operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels, calling at more than 180 ports worldwide. X-Press Feeders aims to achieve net zero emission by 2050 and be the ‘Greener Feeder Carrier of Choice’. We will be the world’s first feeder carrier to operate containerships powered by green methanol.