Activity in green marine fuels continues to centre on real-world applications and supporting infrastructure. Shanghai has completed a green methanol bunkering for a next-generation car carrier, while Europe continues to advance low-carbon fuel uptake through funding support, safety assessments and port fuel data. At the same time, deliveries of liquid ammonia carriers are a reminder that a future green ammonia supply chain depends not only on fuel production but also on transport, reception and port infrastructure.
1. Shanghai completes green methanol bunkering for the Arctic Tern
On 21 July, World Fuel announced that EUKOR Car Carriers, SIPG Energy and World Fuel had completed the first green methanol bunkering of the M/V Arctic Tern at the Port of Shanghai. The vessel is the first of Wallenius Wilhelmsen's next-generation Shaper Class car carriers, delivered on 9 July and operated by EUKOR Car Carriers.
World Fuel arranged the fuel supply on behalf of EUKOR, with SIPG Energy acting as physical supplier in Shanghai. The ship-to-ship transfer was carried out by the methanol bunker vessel "Hai Gang Zhi Yuan" at the Haitong terminal in Shanghai's Waigaoqiao port area. Around 2,800 tonnes were delivered, with bunkering carried out simultaneously with cargo operations. According to World Fuel, the green methanol supplied was produced from municipal solid waste, is ISCC-EU certified and has a carbon intensity below 25 gCO2e/MJ.
Comment: Carrying out ship-to-ship bunkering simultaneously with cargo operations shows that major Chinese ports are strengthening their capabilities in green methanol supply, bunkering organisation and operational coordination.
2. Commission approves EUR 103 million Dutch scheme for methanol and renewable hydrogen vessels
According to Ship&Bunker, the European Commission has approved a EUR 103 million Dutch state aid scheme to accelerate the green transition of the Netherlands' maritime fleet. The scheme will support the purchase of new vessels powered by methanol or renewable hydrogen, as well as the retrofitting of existing vessels to use these two marine fuels. It covers passenger ships, cargo ships and working vessels, in particular short-sea shipping, with grants awarded through a competitive process and support running from 2027 to 2031.
Comment: A major barrier to green-fuel vessels is the higher cost of newbuilds and retrofits, which owners struggle to justify on market returns alone. The Dutch scheme shows Europe using public funding to lower the upfront cost of adopting methanol and renewable hydrogen. For short-sea shipping, port working craft and regional trades, methanol and hydrogen may be the first to see demonstration-scale adoption.
3. Port of Hamburg advances a safety framework for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering
Ship&Bunker also reports that the Port of Hamburg has completed key safety work to support future ammonia bunkering. The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and MB Energy have jointly developed a risk analysis and safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering, working with terminal operators, shipping companies and local authorities. The work is intended to support safe bunkering of ammonia-powered container ships, cruise ships, ro-ro and ConRo vessels calling at Hamburg in future. MB Energy also plans to develop an ammonia import terminal from 2029 to support long-term ammonia supply in Hamburg and northern German ports.
Comment: Safety systems must come before ammonia can be commercialised as a marine fuel. Compared with methanol, ammonia places higher demands on toxicity control, leak response, personnel protection and port emergency planning. Hamburg's work is not about starting ammonia bunkering today, but about establishing a workable risk assessment and safety management framework for the ammonia-fuelled ships to come.
4. Rotterdam biofuel sales rise sharply in Q2, with first bio-ethanol bunkering
Based on Ship&Bunker's analysis of Port of Rotterdam data, total sales of conventional marine fuels and biofuels in the second quarter of 2026 reached 1.75 million tonnes, down 26.7% year on year. Biofuel blend sales, however, reached 239,875 tonnes — up 45.2% year on year and 129.3% quarter on quarter, the highest level since the first quarter of 2024. Bio-methanol sales in Q2 reached 2,845 tonnes, up from 996 tonnes in Q1, while bio-ethanol bunkering totalled 1,025 tonnes, the port's first recorded sales of bio-ethanol as a marine fuel.
Comment: The Rotterdam figures show low-carbon marine fuels are no longer confined to individual demonstration projects but are starting to appear in quarterly port sales. Growth in biofuel blends, bio-methanol and bio-ethanol also reflects owners and suppliers testing multiple low-carbon pathways. In volume terms, conventional fuels still dominate, and alternative fuels remain some way from genuine scale.
5. HD Hyundai Samho delivers its first very large ammonia carrier to Maersk
On 27 July, HD Hyundai Samho announced the delivery of its first very large liquefied ammonia carrier, the Jane Maersk, to Maersk. With a capacity of 93,000 cubic metres, the vessel is the first of five ordered in November 2023 and can carry both liquid ammonia and LPG. HD Hyundai Samho says the ship is equipped with dedicated safety systems, including a high-level alarm system to reduce the risk of ammonia misloading. The company added that it has won orders for nine very large ammonia carriers this year, with an order backlog of 22 vessels worth around USD 2.55 billion.
Comment: If green ammonia is to enter global trade as an energy carrier or marine fuel, liquid ammonia transport, port reception, storage and distribution capacity must be built out in parallel. Rising ammonia carrier orders show the market positioning early for that supply chain.
Closing thoughts
This week's developments show the green marine fuel transition moving into more concrete execution: ports such as Shanghai and Rotterdam are demonstrating growing green methanol, bio-methanol and bio-ethanol bunkering capability, while Europe is paving the way for methanol, hydrogen and ammonia through grants, safety frameworks and port infrastructure.
It also underlines that competition in green marine fuels is not only about which fuel is lowest in carbon, but about who can first connect the full chain — fuel production, transport, port bunkering, shipboard application, safety management and commercial mechanisms. Tecway Maritime continues to follow green hydrogen and its derivative fuels across shipping and the energy transition, and supports clients on green fuel projects according to their requirements.