A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) related to a potential methanol supply agreement with a Japanese supplier, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, and the municipal authorities responsible for the port of Yokohama in late December. The deal is intended to study ways of supplying methanol and green methanol as marine fuels.
The news of the negotiations were first reported in the Japanese media in mid-December, in which it was reported that the participants hoped to begin methanol bunkering at the port of Yokohama by the end of 2024, initially using imported green methanol fuel alongside production sourced from MGC’s facilities.
The MoU agreement signed on 27 December is also expected to support the development of the first green methanol production in Japan at MGC’s Niigata Plant from early 2024. MGC announced that it plans to begin production of biomethanol using captured biogas generated from a nearby sewage treatment plant (septic center) owned by Niigata Prefecture as a feedstock from Q2 2024. The plant already produces methanol from CO2 and grey hydrogen using MGC’s Carbopath Circular Carbon Methanol (CCM) concept.
The beginning of renewable methanol production at Niigata would be the first such production in Japan. The Motorship notes that Maersk agreed the first large scale green methanol offtake agreement for the global shipping industry with a Chinese supplier, Goldwind, in late November.
