Maersk completes first US ethanol bunkering of deep-sea vessel

A.P. Moller - Maersk has completed the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the US, fueling the Tangier Maersk with 100% domestically produced corn ethanol in an operation that could open new trade flow pathways for US agricultural commodities into the marine fuel supply chain.

The milestone, announced in a statement by the shipping company on Sept. 28, underscores growing industry interest in alcohol-based marine fuels as shipping companies seek to diversify away from conventional fossil bunkers ahead of tightening international emissions regulations.

The use of US corn ethanol, a commodity with an established domestic production base and existing distribution infrastructure, signals a potential new demand channel for American grain markets if the fuel gains commercial traction at scale.

"Achieving lower-emission logistics requires turning new technologies into practical, scalable solutions," said Ditlev Blicher, regional president for North America at Maersk. "This bunkering operation aboard Tangier Maersk provides valuable real-world experience with alternative fuels in commercial shipping. The insights gained will help drive the development of more sustainable supply chains."

The Tangier Maersk is a dual-fuel alcohol-enabled container vessel, a vessel class specifically designed to operate on conventional marine fuels as well as alcohol-based alternatives such as ethanol and methanol. According to Maersk's announcement, the operation delivered operational, infrastructure, sourcing and supply chain insights relevant to the broader commercialization of ethanol as a marine fuel.

Scaling challenges

Despite the symbolic weight of the milestone, Maersk was careful to frame the operation as exploratory rather than a definitive pivot toward ethanol as a primary fuel. The company said scalable future fuel pathways would depend on fuel availability, regulatory frameworks and operational readiness across the maritime value chain — factors that remain unevenly developed across global port networks.

The Port of Mobile operation builds on earlier ethanol trials conducted aboard two other Maersk vessels, Laura Maersk and Antonia Maersk, extending the company's empirical dataset on alcohol fuel performance in commercial deep-sea shipping conditions.

Those earlier trials were conducted outside the US, making the obile operation the first of its kind on US soil and the first on a deep-sea container vessel globally on a commercial, ship-to-ship basis, according to the company's announcement.

The ethanol bunkering development comes as the International Maritime Organization's decarbonization targets and the EU's FuelEU Maritime regulation continue to reshape the economics of marine fuel procurement, creating incentives for carriers to demonstrate operational competence with lower-emission fuel alternatives ahead of compliance deadlines.

The US is the world's leading ethanol producer and could provide a near-term supply advantage over other alternative marine fuels that face more acute feedstock and infrastructure constraints.

US ethanol markets held mostly steady Sept. 28, while corn futures ticked lower.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the Chicago Terminal ethanol benchmark down 0.20 cent/gal at $2.20/gal, slipping from a three-year high reached the previous trading day. The benchmark's differential to the October Chicago paper widened to plus 1.50 cents. Meanwhile, the October/November Chicago paper structure narrowed to plus 7.75 cents.