MOL completes first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering in Japan

The ship-to-ship transfer was carried out at Yokohama port.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) completed Japan’s first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering at anchorage on 6 February 2026 at the Keihin Port Yokohama District, according to a press release.

The operation was delivered through a five-party public-private partnership involving MOL, the City of Yokohama, Kokuka Sangyo, Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.

During the operation, methanol was transferred from the Eika Maru, operated by Kokuka Sangyo, to MOL’s dual-fuel methanol carrier Kohzan Maru VII, using domestically produced biomethanol supplied from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical’s plant in Niigata.

The bunkering was carried out under safety and operational standards established by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, with coordination from the Japan Coast Guard.

MOL said it will organise and apply lessons from the operation to future methanol bunkering at anchorage for different vessel types and regions in Japan.