Chinese Bunker Supplier Launches Pilot Program to Standardize Marine Methanol

Marine fuel supplier Shanghai Chimbusco Marine Bunker Co Ltd launched a municipal-level pilot project to standardize methanol bunkering services for vessels, with completion expected by the end of 2028. The initiative was selected under the 2026 Shanghai Standardization Pilot Program and will run for two years.

The plan seeks to establish a standardized service framework covering personnel, equipment, materials, methods and operating environment, as well as procedures before, during and after methanol bunkering operations. The company held a kickoff meeting and technical training session on October 20, with the participation of experts from Shanghai Academy of Quality Management Co Ltd, who provided guidance for the project's implementation.

According to Shanghai Chimbusco Marine Bunker, the initiative aims to create a replicable methanol bunkering service model for the Port of Shanghai and across China, in line with the country's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals and Shanghai's plans to become an international hub for green marine fuel supply.

Ship Bunker reported that last year around 10,000 tonnes of domestically produced green methanol were supplied to vessels in Shanghai, compared with around 3,000 tonnes in Singapore. Meanwhile, ports news rusia indicated that the Port of Shanghai supplied 62,500 tonnes of methanol in 2025 and 51,200 tonnes in the first half of 2026, up 57.5% year-on-year, of which 14,700 tonnes were domestically produced green methanol, a 144% increase, placing Shanghai first among the world's major ports in cumulative green methanol volume.

According to ports news rusia, the project is part of a broader Chinese national program to expand methanol-powered shipping, which includes a national action plan for methanol bunkering services to cover the entire main route of the Yangtze River by 2028, alongside continued development of technical and safety standards.