Nansha terminal completes Guangdong's first green methanol refueling for Ro-Ro vessel

A roll-on/roll-off vessel exporting over 4,000 new energy vehicles to Europe departed from an automobile terminal on Friday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, after refueling with 2,300 tons of methanol.

The operation marked Guangdong's first green methanol refueling operation for a Ro-Ro vessel, establishing Nansha Automobile Terminal as the world's first port to achieve the feat for three types of clean energy-powered vessels (the others being container ships and bulk carriers), according to the port operator.

The CM Guangzhou is a new generation of large green Ro-Ro ships. It has a design capacity of 7,800 standard car units. Its maiden voyage from Guangzhou will bring it to ports across Europe.

According to Yu Yang, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Jinyang Port Management, the ship will help greatly boost the efficiency of exports of domestically-made vehicles.

From January to August, Guangzhou's automobile export value exceeded 20 billion yuan (roughly $3 billion), marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 60 percent, according to local commerce authorities.