X-Press Feeders has completed an ethanol-blend bunkering operation in Rotterdam as the port expands its capability to handle alternative marine fuels.
The container ship Eco Levant was bunkered last weekend with a fuel mix containing 90% ISCC EU certified biomethanol and 10% ISCC EU certified second-generation ethanol. The operation was the first ethanol bunkering for a seagoing vessel in Rotterdam and one of the first known cases globally involving ethanol supply from a bunker vessel to an oceangoing ship.
The methanol and ethanol were delivered separately by one inland bunker vessel before being blended on board Eco Levant under controlled operating conditions. The trial tested not only the fuel mix, but also the handling, delivery, documentation and port procedures needed for alternative fuel operations.
X-Press Feeders operates more than 100 vessels and serves over 180 ports worldwide. The company has been developing methanol-capable feeder services in Europe as demand grows for lower-emission container transport.
The trial was supported by METHANAVE, a consultancy focused on methanol and ethanol projects for shipping. The company said the operation highlighted the flexibility of alcohol-based marine fuels and the role of supply chain cooperation in moving new fuels into practical use.
Rotterdam supplies about 10 million tonnes of marine fuel each year and is working to support a wider range of low-carbon bunker fuels. The ethanol operation follows the port’s ammonia bunkering pilot in 2025, adding another operational step as shipping tests alternatives beyond conventional fuel oil and LNG.
