Image credit: X-Press Feeders.

X-Press Feeders, the world's largest independent common carrier, has launched Europe's first scheduled feeder network powered by green methanol, a sustainable marine fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 65%. This milestone coincided with the naming and christening ceremony of X-Press Feeders' first dual-fuel methanol-powered vessel, Eco-Maestro, in Rotterdam.The vessel was built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group.

Eco-Maestro is the inaugural vessel of 14 dual-fuel ships ordered by X-Press Feeders, which plans to primarily deploy these vessels on European routes. This initiative aligns with the European Union’s implementation of an emissions trading scheme (ETS) for maritime shipping and the upcoming Fuel EU Maritime regulations starting in January 2025, which mandate the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity for energy used on board ships.

The new methanol-powered feeder network includes two services: Green Finland X-PRESS (GFX), connecting Rotterdam, Antwerp Bruges, Helsinki, Tallinn, and HaminaKotka, and Green Baltic X-PRESS (GBX), linking Rotterdam, Antwerp Bruges, Klaipeda, and Riga. Green bio-methanol, a renewable energy source produced from organic matter, is independently certified in Europe under ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification).