Taiwanese container shipping major Evergreen Marine 2603.TW has signed an agreement to use Singapore-based X-Press Feeders’ new green methanol ships in Europe, X-Press Feeders said late on Thursday.

X-Press Feeders, which will start operating its dual-fuel vessels from the second quarter, said the two companies would launch a feeder network that would be the first in Europe to be powered by green methanol, helping to cut carbon emissions.

They will start in Rotterdam and run to ports in the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia.

X-Press Feeders, which operates more than 100 vessels globally, has ordered 14 dual-fuel ships that can burn methanol and conventional bunker fuel.

The company will receive eight vessels in 2024, while the remaining six will be delivered between 2025-2026.

Globally, more shipping companies have taken steps towards enabling green methanol as a marine bunker fuel in the push for cleaner energy.

The move comes as the European Union extends its Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover carbon dioxide emissions for all ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above entering EU ports.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Sonali Paul)