Lithuanian engineering company Western Baltic Engineering has completed the technical specification and concept design for an 800-tonne green methanol bunkering vessel tailored to operations at the Port of Klaipėda, according to the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.
The shallow-draught vessel is intended for local bunkering routes and could supply up to 250,000 tonnes of green methanol a year at full operating capacity. It is Western Baltic Engineering’s first design dedicated exclusively to green methanol bunkering, although the company has previously developed methanol-ready vessel concepts.
The work forms part of the H2-Derivatives@BalticSeaPorts project, involving the port authority and 14 other partners. Moffatt & Nichol Baltics was commissioned to assess potential demand, customers, supply chains, regulation and the environmental case for green methanol bunkering.
The assessment found that the Baltic market remains at an early stage, with limited current demand and supply chains still under development. Regional vessels, passenger ships and ferries, and offshore wind service vessels were identified as potential future users. The concept has not yet resulted in a shipbuilding contract. The specification will undergo further stakeholder review and validation, with finalisation expected in early 2027.
Klaipėda port chief executive Algis Latakas said the port was preparing its infrastructure and services for green shipping corridors in the Baltic. Western Shipyard Group chief executive Arnoldas Šileika said the project brought international maritime engineering experience to Lithuania’s maritime industrial base.
The project runs from March 2025 to February 2028 with a budget of €2.86m ($3.26m), including €2.29m ($2.61m) in European Union funding. Klaipėda’s allocation is €226,000 ($257,776), of which €180,800 ($206,220) is EU-funded.
Eco Umande, a green methanol-powered containership operated by Singapore shipping company X-Press Feeders, has called at Klaipėda since 2024. The port also sees longer-term potential to produce green methanol using green hydrogen from a production facility already operating there.
Western Baltic Engineering was established in Klaipėda in 2003, employs about 100 in-house engineers and is a strategic subsidiary of Western Shipyard Group. The latter comprises 21 companies active in shipbuilding, repair, conversion, design, engineering, fabrication, logistics and port services, and forms part of Estonia-based industrial group BLRT Grupp.