Unibarge, a Dutch-Swiss inland tanker shipping company, has obtained a license to provide methanol bunkering supplies to the Ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, according to the company's release.
The license, announced on February 24, enables Unibarge to deliver methanol, a low-carbon marine fuel, to vessels at these major European ports, supporting the maritime industry’s transition to cleaner energy solutions.
Unibarge’s methanol bunkering operations will utilize its vessel Chicago, retrofitted in 2023 with methanol dual-fuel propulsion in collaboration with OCI N.V. The Chicago, described as Europe’s first dual-fuel bunker barge powered by green methanol, completed a supply operation to the Eco Umande in mid-February 2025 at the Delta Barge Feeder terminal in Rotterdam.
“Chicago successfully supplied green methanol in an operation performed in the third week of February 2025 at the Delta Barge Feeder terminal in Rotterdam,” Unibarge stated. The barge, operating on renewable and low-carbon methanol as well as conventional biofuels, aligns with the shipping industry’s climate neutrality targets.
The Ports of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Antwerp-Bruges have been expanding methanol bunkering capabilities since 2023. Rotterdam has offered methanol bunkering to sea-going vessels since that year, while Antwerp-Bruges marked its first methanol bunkering in June 2023, delivering 475 metric tons to Proman Stena Marine at Sea-invest’s terminal. Amsterdam joined the initiative through partnerships like those with TankMatch and Evos, focusing on sustainable fuels across the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region.
Unibarge is a Dutch-Swiss inland tanker shipping company, headquartered in Rotterdam, specializing in transporting chemicals, fuels, and bulk liquids across European waterways, with a focus on sustainable solutions like methanol bunkering.
OCI N.V. is a Netherlands-based global producer of nitrogen fertilizers, methanol, and other chemicals, headquartered in Amsterdam, partnering with Unibarge to supply green methanol for bunkering operations.
Port of Rotterdam is a Europe’s largest port and bunkering hub, located in Rotterdam, Netherlands, handling 9.8 million tonnes of bunkering operations in 2024, a key center for methanol and alternative fuels.
Port of Amsterdam is a major Dutch port on the North Sea Canal, serving as a key logistics hub in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region, supporting methanol bunkering initiatives since 2023.
Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a Belgium’s largest port, formed by the merger of Antwerp and Bruges, handling 143.2 million tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2024, a leader in methanol bunkering since June 2023.