First Methanol Dual-Fuel Ship by X-Press Feeders Ready

The biggest independent common carrier globally, X-Press Feeders, has revealed the first of 14 methanol dual-fuel ships, with plans in the Baltic to create a green feeder network. 

Eco Maestro is the first of these dual-fuel vessels, which have a 1,200 TEU capacity and an average length of 148m, to begin its maiden voyage in the first quarter of 2024. 

After being built in China, Eco Maestro will begin its maiden voyage to Europe using bio-methanol fuel - the first to do so from China. 

“We want to fuel Eco Maestro with green methanol for the entirety of its voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam. We’ve had to engage certain ports that currently lack the infrastructure to supply methanol to ships to make this possible,” says Francis Goh, Chief Operating Officer of X-Press Feeders’.

Eco Maestro is expected to save 268kg of CO2e emissions for every TEU carried, compared to that of a feeder vessel using ordinary marine fuel, on a round voyage. 

OCI Global, a Dutch fuel supplier, has agreed to sign a contract with X-Press Feeders to begin supplying green methanol at the Port of Rotterdam from 2024. 

In a similar case, Maersk welcomed its first methanol dual-fuelled ship in 2023, which is now sailing Baltic routes.