The Port of Rotterdam has completed its first ethanol bunkering operation for an ocean-going vessel. The containership Eco Levant received an ethanol-methanol fuel blend last weekend.
The vessel, operated by X-Press Feeders, was supplied under controlled conditions, marking one of the first such bunkering operations globally and the first carried out in Rotterdam.
According to the port authority, the fuel consisted of 90% ISCC EU-certified biomethanol and 10% ISCC EU-certified second-generation ethanol. The fuels were delivered separately and blended onboard the vessel after bunkering.
The operation was performed by bunker barge MTS Experience, operated by Tankmatch, which supplied both methanol and ethanol. Methanol bunkering is already established in Rotterdam, while the addition of ethanol represents a new step in testing alternative marine fuels.
MV Eco Levant has been operating on the ethanol-methanol blend since the bunkering.
X-Press Feeders, the world’s largest independent feeder carrier, operates more than 100 vessels serving over 180 ports worldwide. The company said it continues to evaluate alternative fuel options aimed at lowering fleet emissions.
Rotterdam, the world’s second-largest bunker port with around 10 million tonnes of marine fuel supplied annually, has been expanding its alternative fuel infrastructure. The port conducted an ammonia bunkering pilot in 2025 and says it aims to support bunkering of multiple low-carbon fuels in the future.
