Key auto shipping hub scores green milestone

A roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel loaded with over 4,000 new energy vehicles for export to Europe departed on Friday from an automobile terminal in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, after completing its refueling with 2,300 metric tons of methanol.

This marked the first green methanol refueling operation for a Ro-Ro vessel in Guangdong, signifying a key step forward for the Nansha Automobile Terminal of Guangzhou Port in upgrading its green and low-carbon shipping services and in building a global export channel for domestic automobiles.

The operation helps establish the Guangzhou-based port as the world's first port to achieve green methanol refueling operations for three types of clean energy-powered vessels — container ships, bulk carriers and automobile Ro-Ro ships, according to the port operator.

The CM Guangzhou vessel, with a design capacity of 7,800 standard car units, is a new generation of large green Ro-Ro ships and the first methanol dual-fuel Ro-Ro ship to dock at the Nansha Automobile Terminal.

Its methanol dual-fuel power system significantly reduces emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulates, representing an important technological direction for the green transformation of Ro-Ro ships.

On its maiden voyage from Guangzhou, the vessel will stop at ports in countries and regions including Spain and Belgium along the Europe route.

The supply of green marine fuel in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has progressed from single-ship pilot projects to a stage of multi-ship type and full-scenario coverage, according to Li Guanjie, deputy general manager of the bonded business division of China Shipping and Sinopec Suppliers Co Ltd.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, the company plans to build a green marine fuel network — transforming from single-ship, one-time demonstrations to establishing a normalized and large-scale green marine fuel supply capability.

The network will involve parallel development of methanol, biofuels and LNG and cover multiple scenarios such as anchorage refueling and simultaneous loading and refueling at the dock, according to Li.

"This approach will ensure that international vessels can refuel with clean energy upon reaching ports in the GBA, contributing to the establishment of a green shipping corridor," said Li.

"The operation helps us achieve full-scenario, multi-vessel type service capability for green methanol refueling," said Yu Yang, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Jinyang Port Management Co.

The port can provide international vessels with a variety of clean energy options, including LNG, green methanol and biofuel oil, as well as offer multi-scenario refueling services such as ship-to-ship at anchorages, dockside refueling and LNG truck-to-ship refueling, according to Yu.

More importantly, the operation of the methanol-fueled vessel will help enhance efficiency in the exports of domestically-made vehicles, according to Yu.

From January to August, the export value of automobiles from Guangzhou exceeded 20 billion yuan ($2.99 billion), marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 60 percent, according to local commerce authorities.

"Since the beginning of this year, Guangzhou Port has experienced strong growth in automobile exports, with the annual export volume expected to hit the 1-million-vehicle target," Yu said.

Exports on the port's Nansha-Europe route grew 2.4-fold in the first nine months, compared to the same period last year, reflecting the continuous expansion of overseas shipping channels for domestic automobiles.