Danish fuel supplier Bunker One is getting ready to bunker methanol through a new tanker charter.
The company said it has agreed a long-term deal for the 3,600-dwt Nore (built 2007) with Swedish owner Vaderotank Rederi.
Bunker One described the deal as a major step forward into catering for future methanol bunkering in and around Scandinavian waters and northwest Europe.
The strait between Denmark and Sweden will able to support the green transition by offering “the necessary infrastructure for last-mile delivery of alternative fuels to ships”, it said.
The Nore has received all bunkering permits and certifications for operating in the region.
It is the fourth bunker ship in Bunker One Sweden’s fleet.
“Gothenburg, Skaw and the entire Scandinavian region is one of our most important bunkering hubs, with significant vessel traffic passing through the area,” said chief executive Peter Zachariassen.
“So to start building the infrastructure and have it in place is going to send a strong signal to our customers that if they bet on building ships powered by carbon emissions-reducing products, we will be ready to supply them.”
Bunker One Sweden’s chief operating officer, Petter Jonason, has been working hard to prepare for operations.
“We’ve been working for some time, getting the landside infrastructure in place, chartering the tanker and getting the licences from the maritime authorities,” he added.
The group said the potential to bunker methanol is important to owners as they plan to invest in new ships with alternative-fuel engines.
“Purchasing new fleets with alternative fuel as propulsion is a daring investment to shipowners, but we firmly believe that if we build the infrastructure, they will have one less thing to hold them back,” Zachariassen said.
The Nore will serve as a multi-fuel bunkering tanker with a 3,500-tonne storage capacity.
Bunker One is part of the USTC Group, the family-owned Danish shipping and energy company.
