Methanol supply key to Hong Kong’s goals on green marine fuels: CM Energy Hong Kong has its work cut for it to become a supply centre for green maritime fuel, as it works with partners in mainland China to build a green methanol supply chain from scratch, according to shipowner China Merchants Energy Shipping. “Hong Kong has already realised liquefied natural gas [LNG] and biodiesel [fuelling] operations, with 130,000 tonnes of throughput so far,” said Wang Yongxin, president of the Shanghai-listed company, in a press briefing on Sunday. “But on green methanol, it needs to work hard to establish a reliable supply chain from upstream to downstream, which will require mainland-produced fuel to be brought into, stored and sold in Hong Kong tax-free.” Wang was speaking at a ceremony to mark the maiden voyage of the ship CM Hong Kong, which is delivering vehicles from China to Europe and calling on the ports of Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong. Built at a cost of US$96 million by a shipyard in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, the 220-metre vessel is billed as the world’s first large-vehicle carrier that can operate on both traditional fuel and methanol. Its current fuel mix was one quarter green methanol, Wang said, adding that the fuel cost around four times more than traditional fuel. “With Europe’s implementation of its carbon emissions-based import tariff regime, we expect to gradually lift our green methanol usage from 2027,” he said. China Merchants Energy, part of ports and shipping-to-finance conglomerate China Merchants Group, has ordered enough dual-fuel ships to meet the International Maritime Organisation’s requirement to reduce ocean-going ships’ greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 per cent from 2008 levels by 2030, he added. Green methanol, made from biomass including agricultural and forestry waste, had a carbon footprint 70 to 80 per cent lower than fuel made from petroleum, according to Amsterdam-based consultancy Methanol Institute. Plying the fast-growing China-Europe route for electric vehicles, the ship has 78,000 square metres of deck space – equivalent to 11 football pitches – spread over 13 storeys, with a capacity of around 9,300 cars. Wong Sai-fat, Hong Kong’s director of marine, said the ship’s stop in the city on its maiden voyage was highly significant for Hong Kong’s development in green marine fuel, as the ship is the world’s first vehicle carrier powered by methanol and conventional fuel to begin commercial operations. “CM Hong Kong is named after the city and is registered in the city,” Wong said. “It demonstrates China Merchants Group’s support for the city’s development as an international maritime centre.” He added that the city’s government had established a platform to encourage collaboration mong stakeholders in the supply chain for green marine fuel in the Greater Bay Area – the area comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province. On Thursday, the government invited market participants to submit expressions of interest for the development of proposed green maritime fuel storage facilities at a nine-hectare site in the southern part of Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong. The facility will store green maritime fuels including liquefied natural gas, green methanol, green ammonia, hydrogen and biodiesel. Wang said China Merchants Group was keen to look into the opportunity, depending on whether it can identify reliable sources of green fuel at attractive prices. In June, the Marine Department launched a green maritime fuel incentive to encourage shipowners to switch to greener fuels. Each company is eligible to receive HK$500,000 (US$64,276) in grants on each of the first two LNG or green-methanol fuelling operations completed, up to a total of HK$2 million and subject to the department’s acceptance of its risk assessment. https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3327151/methanol-supply-key-hong-kongs-goals-green-marine-fuels-cm-energy (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post