en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dimension News, July 4 - As the vessel "Kaixing 1307" departed from the Wuhu berth in Anhui, China Ship Fuel under COSCO Shipping, in collaboration with Huaihe Energy and Wanhao Energy, successfully completed the country's first inland river liquefied biomethane (LBM) bunkering operation. This milestone fills the gap in commercial LBM bunkering on China's inland waterways, marking the transition of green fuel bunkering services on the Yangtze River from pilot demonstration to large-scale application.
Liquefied biomethane is produced from agricultural crop straw, forestry waste, and other raw materials, achieving a greenhouse gas emission reduction rate of over 80% throughout its full lifecycle, while also cutting nitrogen oxide emissions by 85% and particulate matter emissions by 99%. Existing LNG dual-fuel vessels can be directly bunkered without any modifications, making this "plug-and-play" feature a viable option for the green transformation of the shipping industry. This LBM bunkering operation leveraged China Ship Fuel's supply network, with a clear division of responsibilities among the three parties: Wanhao Energy handled upstream raw material conversion and LBM production, Huaihe Energy utilized the Wuhu LNG receiving terminal to establish a land-based storage and transportation hub, and China Ship Fuel covered the terminal bunkering scenario, jointly creating an integrated commercial operation chain of "agricultural and forestry waste-to-gas, land-based hub storage and transportation, waterway bunkering, and ship terminal application."
In this first LBM transaction, China Ship Fuel introduced a "Five Guarantees" service commitment: guaranteed quality, guaranteed quantity, guaranteed price, guaranteed safety, and guaranteed integrity. In the long term, the green transformation of Yangtze River shipping faces bottlenecks such as a limited variety of low-carbon fuels and insufficient supply of renewable energy. With its renewable nature, high emission reduction potential, and strong compatibility, liquefied biomethane offers a new fuel option for decarbonizing inland waterway shipping.
