Maersk completes first US commercial ethanol bunkering of deep-sea vessel

A. P. Moller - Maersk has completed the first commercial ship-to-ship bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel using 100 percent US-produced corn ethanol. The operation involved the dual-fuel vessel Tangier Maersk in Houston, Texas.

The fuel was supplied by US bioethanol producer POET. The bunkering process was supported by Kirby Corp. for transportation and marine bunkering, with coordination from the Port of Houston and regulatory support from the US Coast Guard.

This milestone is part of Maersk’s broader strategy to explore various fuel pathways for the maritime industry's energy transition. The company noted that ethanol offers a potentially scalable, lower-emission option due to its compatibility with alcohol-enabled vessel technology and its existing production and distribution networks. This follows a previous methanol bunkering operation conducted by the same vessel earlier this year.