Cairo – The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) announced the success of the first fueling of a container ship with green methanol in East Port Said, in the Suez Canal in Egypt. The refueling process took approximately six hours, being the first of its kind in Egypt, Africa, or the Middle East, according to information from the Authority.
With this new step, Egypt seeks to restore its role in providing ship fueling services, whether with conventional or green fuels, and thus maximize the use of its seaports on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
A statement issued by SCZONE reported the fueling of shipping company Maersk’s container vessel. The vessel was fueled by the Lara S barge, owned by OCI Global, which supplies ships with green fuel and is the world’s largest producer of methanol-based fuel.
The container ship was fueled with 500 tonnes at the Suez Canal Container Terminal, the main operator in East Port Said. The volume is bigger than the same ship’s fueling with green methanol on its previous two stops in Asia as part of a route to Europe.
SCZONE’s efforts to transform its ports into a regional hub for fueling ships take place amid the country’s work to install green fuel, food, and complementary industries in the region to maximize the use of all the potential offered by its unique geographical location, compared to other competing economic zones.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Elúsio Brasileiro
