Hamburg-based energy company Mabanaft has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with cruise operator Tui Cruises to supply green methanol in the future. The cooperation between Mabanaft and TUI Cruises will begin with a methanol supply for “Mein Schiff 7”.
With ” Mein Schiff 7″, TUI Cruises will launch a cruise ship in 2024 that can also run on methanol, and in the future on green methanol. The ship is being built at Meyer Turku. According to the shipping company, this project offers the opportunity to decarbonize ship propulsion. Over the next few years, Tui Cruises plans to expand its fleet in Germany with further dual-fuel methanol-capable cruise ships. [ds_preview]
The Mabanaft Group, a supplier of marine fuels and operator of tank storage facilities in Germany, Denmark and Hungary, intends to supplement its range of marine fuels with methanol and other hydrogen derivatives from renewable sources. In order to be able to supply customers such as Tui with methanol, Mabanaft is also planning the necessary storage and bunker infrastructure in the Port of Hamburg and possibly other ports.
“Agreement with Tui Cruises an important step towards an integrated methanol fuel solution”
“We expect green methanol to play an immediate role in the decarbonization of shipping – methanol dual-fuel engines are already available and we can convert our existing refueling infrastructure to supply methanol to our customers,” says Volker Ebeling, Senior Vice President New Energy, Supply & Infrastructure at Mabanaft. “From biofuels to hydrogen and ammonia to methanol – we want to make all these options available to the shipping industry. The agreement with TUI Cruises is therefore an important step for us on the way to an integrated methanol fuel solution.”
Wybcke Meier, CEO of Tui Cruises: “Climate-neutral cruises are a question of the right technologies and long-term strategies. We have both. On the one hand, we are continuously equipping our fleets with innovative drive systems, and on the other, we are ensuring the supply of alternative fuels – through cooperation with partners such as Mabanaft. This is how we will achieve our goals.”
The Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership between Mabanaft and Tui Cruises. As part of the agreement, Mabanaft intends to cover the cruise line’s methanol requirements in northern Germany – and possibly in other European ports in the future. The company intends to focus on a gradual transition to synthetic e-methanol.
