Clean energy equipment and services provider CIMC Enric on Monday (7 September) said China’s first green methanol bunkering operation for a bulk carrier was completed at Guangzhou anchorage.

The company said the bunkering operation also marked the first bio-methanol STS bunkering operation at Guangzhou Port.

A total of 1,021 metric tonnes (mt) of bio-methanol was supplied ship-to-ship (STS) to the world’s first methanol dual-fuel Ultramax bulk carrier.

The operation was completed on 6 September by China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers Co Ltd’s Da Qing 268, which carried bio-methanol produced at CIMC Enric’s green methanol facility in Zhanjiang.

The successful operation in Guangzhou, following previous green methanol bunkering operations in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, means that Guangdong-produced bio-based methanol has established a supply network across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The company said the development connects the production, storage, transportation and bunkering segments of the green methanol supply chain, moving the region beyond individual pilot projects towards coordinated operations across the Greater Bay Area.

CIMC Enric described its Zhanjiang green methanol facility as China’s first commercial-scale bio-methanol production plant.

Since beginning production, the Zhanjiang facility has maintained a stable production and delivery schedule, supplying bio-based methanol to major ports across China, with delivery volumes continuing to increase, according to the company.

The first phase of the facility has an annual production capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes (mt), while its methanol products have a carbon emission reduction rate of more than 85%, CIMC Enric said.

The products have also obtained ISCC EU sustainability certification, with the company saying their specifications meet international requirements for shipping decarbonisation and can support the low-carbon operation of vessels.

Photo credit: CIMC Enric
Published: 9 September, 2026

Environmental non-profit Pacific Environment and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) on Tuesday (8 September) have issued a new study highlighting that strict and reliable fuel certification is essential to keep the global shipping industry’s transition to clean fuels “honest and fraud-free”.

The study titled “The role of sustainable fuels certification schemes in maritime decarbonisation,” was led by the Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) at NTU Singapore.

It evaluates established certification systems — including those by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) and Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), Brazil’s RenovaBio, the California Air Resources Board’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (CARB LCFS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (U.S. EPA RFS) — to guide the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as it establishes global standards for Sustainable Fuel Certification Schemes (SFCS).  

These existing frameworks provide critical blueprints for measuring full-lifecycle carbon emissions, tracking fuel ownership, and ensuring broader environmental sustainability.

Singapore climate specialist, Lim Jie Ying, Pacific Environment, said, “Certification systems will play an essential role in ensuring that zero- and near-zero-emission fuels deliver genuine environmental benefits. As shipping scales up the use of these fuels, we need certification systems that are robust enough to guard against fraud and unsustainable production, while also being practical and workable across complex international supply chains.”

The study outlines major gaps in global fuel supply chains that leave them vulnerable to cheating. For example, documented cases of fraud involving recycled waste, such as used cooking oil and palm oil mill effluent, demonstrate the limitations of verification systems relying purely on paper documentation without physical origin checks.

To tackle these risks, the study recommends chemical testing or fuel “fingerprinting” to verify fuel authenticity independently, alongside stronger cross-checks.  It also calls for a centralised digital database to log all fuel transactions, preventing suppliers from falsely claiming the same batch of green fuel more than once.

Lead researcher of the study, Dr Yeoh Keat Ping, Research Lead at MESD, NTU Singapore, said: “Strengthening the traceability of sustainable fuels through continued research and innovation will be critical in supporting the maritime energy transition. This requires a combined effort across policy formulation, laboratory validation, digital tools and shared industry knowledge. As traded volumes of sustainable fuels grow, these solutions must be robust enough to keep pace with an evolving landscape.”

Additionally, the study addresses the risk of Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC), where clearing land for fuel crops causes deforestation and displaces food production elsewhere. It urges the IMO to adopt a balanced risk-based approach to cap- or phase-out high-risk crop feedstocks, protecting both ecosystems and global food security.

For Singapore, Pacific Environment notes that the study highlights a key opportunity to strengthen the country’s role as a trusted green maritime hub. By expanding training for local sustainability auditors and adopting fuel fingerprinting techniques, Singapore could ensure high supply chain integrity for alternative fuels moving through Southeast Asia.

Note: The study titled ‘The role of sustainable fuels certification schemes in maritime decarbonisation’ can be found here. 

Photo credit: NTU Singapore
Published: 9 September, 2026

International energy terminal operator KN Energies on Tuesday (8 September) said bunker vessel Titan Vision arrived at the Klaipėda LNG terminal on the same day for the vessel’s first LNG reloading operation in Klaipėda. 

During the operation, more than 11,000 m³ of LNG will be reloaded to Titan Vision, a 12,000 m³ LNG bunker vessel designed for terminal runs and LNG bunkering operations across Europe.

KN Energies said Titan, part of Molgas, supplies LNG and BioLNG to the maritime sector and has been developing LNG bunkering solutions in Europe for more than a decade.

 “The operation is the result of continued cooperation between the KN Energies and Titan teams and reflects the flexibility of the Klaipėda LNG terminal in serving different LNG market needs,” the company said.

“So far this year, 65 ship-to-ship LNG operations have been carried out at the terminal, 36 of them involving small-scale LNG vessels.

“This growing activity strengthens Klaipėda’s role as a regional LNG reloading hub, enabling LNG to be reloaded for further delivery to smaller terminals and for bunkering across the Baltic Sea region.”

Photo credit: KN Energies
Published: 9 September, 2026