Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) on Monday (9 February) announced that the company teamed up with several parties to successfully complete Japan’s first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation at anchorage.
The other parties involved in the operation were City of Yokohama, Kokuka Sangyo, Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.
Methanol fuel was transferred from the Eika Maru to the Kohzan Maru VII in the Yokohama District of Keihin Port.
The Eika Maru is a coastal methanol transport vessel operated by Kokuka Sangyo and the Kohzan Maru VII is a dual-fuel, ocean-going, methanol-transport vessel operated by MOL, and both are chartered by MGC.
This operation also used domestically produced biomethanol from MGC’s Niigata Plant, which is set to be used as a fuel for the future operation of the Kohzan Maru VII.
The five parties expect that findings from the operation will be applied to future methanol bunkering operations involving other vessel types or in other regions of Japan.
“Building on this project as a starting point, MOL will continue advancing initiatives to further develop and promote methanol bunkering throughout Japan,” the company said.
The Ports and Harbors Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) established standards for implementation procedures and safety measures regarding bunkering of methanol-fueled vessels through the “Study Group on the Formation of Methanol Bunkering Hubs” from 2024 to 2025.
The bunkering operation at the anchorage was made possible based on findings from a methanol bunkering simulation conducted in Yokohama Port in September 2024 and other insights related to the domestic transport of chemicals, including methanol.
Photo credit: Mitsui OSK Lines
Published: 10 February, 2026
