Maersk Completes First 100% Bioethanol Bunkering in the U.S. with the Tangier Maersk

Maersk's container ship Tangier Maersk completed a voyage from Houston to New York using bioethanol as fuel, after carrying out the first bunkering of a 100% bioethanol blend in the United States at the Port of Houston. The operation also marked the first in-service deployment of WinGD's X-DF-M/E alcohol-fueled engine running on ethanol.

The 9,000 TEU vessel took on the fuel in late September at the Port of Houston, supplied by U.S.-based POET, described as the world's largest bioethanol producer, with an annual output of 3 billion gallons across 35 plants. The fuel supplied the WinGD X82DF-M engine powering the vessel, marking also the first in-service ethanol bunkering for an engine of this manufacturer.

Emma Mazhari, Vice President of Energy Markets at Maersk, noted that bioethanol is a scalable, lower-emission fuel option that can offer greater flexibility in the shipping industry's transition to low-carbon fuels, and described the operation as an important step in exploring its integration into marine fuel supply chains. Meanwhile, Sebastian Hensel, Vice President of Research and Development at WinGD, stated that the use of bioethanol as a marine fuel is a natural progression following the successful operational experience with methanol on the same engine platform, and said the milestone will give greater confidence to shipowners evaluating bioethanol as an emerging pathway toward maritime decarbonization.

The operation was the result of collaboration among several parties: Maersk provided the vessel, Kirby Corporation handled the transport and supply of the fuel, and the Port of Houston coordinated the port operation. The U.S. Coast Guard verified that the regulatory requirements for carrying out the bunkering were met.

The Tangier Maersk, delivered in February, is one of six sister ships of medium size equipped with WinGD's flexible-fuel engines, capable of running on methanol, ethanol, diesel, or blends of both alcohols. The first X-DF-M/E engine capable of running on methanol entered service in 2025, while multi-alcohol capability, allowing the use of both methanol and ethanol, was introduced in 2026. After its call in New York, the vessel is scheduled to continue its route toward Jeddah, the Red Sea, Salalah, ports in India, and subsequently return via Suez and the Mediterranean to the U.S. Gulf Coast.