China Classification Society (CCS) has supported what it says is the first ship-to-ship (STS) methanol bunkering operation for a newbuild vessel at a shipyard in Zhejiang Province, China, following the completion of a bunkering transfer at Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding on 27 June.

The methanol bunkering tanker Jia Chen 17 supplied 795 tonnes of methanol to the methanol dual-fuel container ship Maersk Flinders in 5.5 hours. Pre-bunkering checks, covering hose connection, gas detection, emergency shutdown systems, fire-fighting arrangements and personal protective equipment, were confirmed to comply with safety requirements before the transfer took place, according to CCS.

The operation makes Zhoushan the second port in China with the capability for routine STS methanol bunkering, after Shanghai.

For the delivery of Jia Chen 17, CCS conducted on-site surveys throughout the vessel’s construction process. The classification society focused in particular on ensuring that the methanol bunkering system complied with the Interim Regulation for Technical Requirements and Surveys of Methanol Bunkering Vessels (2025), issued by China’s Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), as well as CCS’s own Guidelines for Methanol Bunkering Vessels (2023).

CCS stated that it will continue to contribute standards and survey services in support of the decarbonisation of the global maritime industry, and said it intends to develop further technical research into alternative marine fuels including methanol, LNG, ammonia and hydrogen.