The Yuanchun 001, a methanol-electric vessel designed for both cargo and passenger transport, has completed Shanghai’s first bunkering operation using biomethanol as marine fuel for an inland waterway vessel. The operation took place at the Luodong Port Area of the Port of Shanghai.

The biomethanol used in the operation was produced through a project titled “Key Technologies and Pilot-Scale Validation for the Full-Carbon Conversion of Biogas into Green Methanol.” The project is being carried out jointly by Shanghai CEO Technology Co., Ltd., East China University of Science and Technology, Chengtou Laogang and SIPG Energy (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The project has achieved a carbon utilisation rate of nearly 100%.

In January 2026, the project completed construction of a pilot plant with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes and brought the entire process online. It produced green methanol that meets international marine fuel standards and obtained both ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS certifications. The reduction in life-cycle carbon emission intensity exceeds the EU benchmark by more than 30 percentage points.

In June 2026, the project team’s core technologies passed a scientific and technological achievement evaluation organised by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, which rated them as internationally leading.

The Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality said the bunkering operation expands the potential applications of biomethanol as a marine fuel in inland waterway shipping. It provides a demonstration case for replacing conventional fuels with greener alternatives on inland vessels and supports efforts to expand Shanghai Port’s biomethanol bunkering capacity.

Building on this milestone, Shanghai is advancing a coordinated approach to green marine fuels that combines technology validation, application expansion and demonstration projects.

Going forward, the participating organisations will continue to advance disruptive technological innovations towards commercialisation, contributing a competitive “Shanghai solution” to the green transition of the Shanghai International Shipping Center and global shipping decarbonisation.

Compiled from：Hydrogen Observer