Equinor has signed a two-year agreement to supply bio-methanol to shipping and vehicle logistics company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, as demand grows for lower-carbon marine fuels.
Under the agreement, Wallenius Wilhelmsen will use the fuel as bunker supply for its upcoming dual-fuel methanol vessels used in roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping. These vessels transport cars and machinery from manufacturing centres to global markets.
The bio-methanol will be supplied at the ports of Port of Zeebrugge and Port of Antwerp, with deliveries expected to begin in late 2026.
Alex Grant, senior vice president of Crude, Products and Liquids at Equinor, said demand for bio-methanol is increasing as shipping companies look for practical options to reduce emissions.
Equinor has previously signed supply agreements for bio-methanol with Maersk and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Xavier Leroi, chief operating officer of Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said securing supplies of lower-carbon fuels is part of the company’s efforts to reduce emissions from ocean transport.
Equinor’s bio-methanol will be produced using methanol manufactured at its facility in Tjeldbergodden, Norway, combined with biomethane certificates derived from captured biogas produced from manure and other biomass.
The production method uses a mass-balance approach, allowing bio-methanol to be produced through existing infrastructure while capturing methane emissions that would otherwise be released from organic waste.
