Maersk Halifax Takes 5,000-Ton Bioethanol Supply During Singapore Cargo Operations

Singapore’s first ethanol fuel supply to a container ship combined a large fuel transfer with ongoing cargo work at a busy terminal. On October 17, about 5,000 metric tons of ISCC-certified bioethanol were supplied to Maersk Halifax at PSA Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Terminal. The operation was described as the largest single ethanol fuel supply worldwide.

Container loading and unloading continued while the ship took on fuel. That simultaneous approach, known in maritime operations as SIMOPS, let the vessel handle cargo and receive fuel during the same port stay. For terminal operators and carriers, the trial offers practical information about fitting an alternative fuel transfer into an active container operation.

Ship-to-ship transfer alongside cargo work

The Singapore-flagged Maersk Halifax received the bioethanol from Golden Centaurus, a chemical tanker owned by Golden Island. A mass flow meter system measured the fuel transferred. Stolthaven Singapore’s infrastructure was also used in the fuel storage and transfer chain.

Built in 2017, Maersk Halifax can carry 15,690 TEU and has been converted to use alternative fuel. Golden Centaurus is described in the source as a chemical tanker built in 2026, with capacity of about 8,000 DWT. The supply was the first ethanol delivery in Singapore and the first ethanol supply to a converted vessel in Maersk’s fleet.

The operational test matters because fuel handling can compete for time and space with cargo work at a container terminal. Here, the transfer proceeded while loading and unloading continued. That provides a real port setting in which to examine how fuel delivery, vessel activity and terminal processes can run side by side. The source does not provide transfer duration, flow rate or the number of containers handled during the operation, so those measures cannot be compared.

Checking equipment and procedures for ethanol

A central aim was to assess whether technical arrangements already used for methanol supply in Singapore can also support ethanol. The fuels share some handling characteristics, and engines designed for methanol may be able to use ethanol after the necessary technical modifications. The operation’s data is expected to inform an assessment of whether Singapore’s TR 129 technical standard for methanol fuel supply can be adapted to ethanol.

The trial will also provide information on how existing mass flow meter systems perform when measuring ethanol transfers. Accurate measurement is a practical requirement for documenting the quantity delivered. Using the system during a large ship-to-ship supply lets participating organizations examine its operation under the conditions of an actual port call.

Preparatory work included hazard identification (HAZID) and hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies. Participating organizations reviewed procedures for storing the fuel, transferring it and accepting it aboard the vessel, as well as responses to possible emergencies. Maersk Halifax’s crew received training in ethanol handling and emergency response. These preparations formed part of the trial’s assessment of the equipment and processes needed to supply the fuel.

Part of Maersk’s wider fuel trials

Maersk has previously conducted ethanol trials on Laura Maersk, Antonia Maersk and Tangier Maersk. Its stated reason for evaluating ethanol as a marine fuel includes the existing production and distribution infrastructure. The company’s work now includes a large supply to a converted vessel, adding port-side transfer experience to its earlier trials.

The potential emissions effect depends on how the ethanol is produced and on the carbon intensity of its supply chain. The fuel quantity delivered alone does not establish the emissions impact of using it. Production method and supply chain data remain relevant to assessing the fuel’s performance.

Singapore is developing its capacity to supply methanol, ethanol and other alternative fuels alongside conventional marine fuels. Data from the Maersk Halifax operation is planned for use in developing ethanol supply standards and safety procedures, and in examining how existing methanol infrastructure can be adapted to other fuels.

For shippers and terminal teams, the clearest operational finding is that the 5,000-tonne-class supply took place without stopping container handling. Further results on transfer measurement, technical requirements and procedures will help show how repeatable that arrangement is at an active terminal.