Cover Story Breakbulk & Project Cargo
working hard to have two green-fuel ships that have a service between South Korea and our gateway by 2027 ,” Jordan said .
To provide additional support infrastructure , Jordan said the alliance is considering installing shore power capabilities at Tacoma ’ s East Blair One Terminal , where Wallenius Wilhelmsen ’ s ro / ro vessels call . Shore power allows vessels to turn off their engines and plug into the grid while docked .
The new dual-fuel vessels would operate on methanol , an alternative fuel type the port has been exploring . Last September , the container ship Maersk Alette became the first dual-fuel vessel capable of sailing on green methanol to enter the Seattle-Tacoma gateway . The vessel bunkered in South Korea before sailing to Los Angeles , and then to Tacoma .
Despite Maersk Alette being a container vessel , Jordan said the ship ’ s arrival at the NWSA could set the stage for other methanol-powered vessels to come to the port .
That includes vessels in the MPV / HL sector , which will likely be best served by green methanol or bio marine gasoil , according to a report from Norway-based classification society DNV .
“ We ’ re working closely with providers and manufacturers of green methanol ,” Jordan said . “ It ’ s not clear to us just yet if that will be manufactured closer to our gateway , or if that ’ ll be shipped out to our gateway and then distributed to offtakers , but we ’ re certainly trying to facilitate those conversations .”
Exploring hydrogen
Rich Byrnes Port Houston
On the Gulf Coast , Port Houston is part of two green corridors , including one with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium focused on the hydrogen trade .
Rich Byrnes , chief infrastructure officer for Port Houston , said transporting hydrogen could open the door to future alternative fueling opportunities . Exporting energy in the form of hydrogen requires moving the commodity as a liquid , such as ammonia , which could offer fueling potential for the vessels that transport it .
“ If you ’ re going to carry ammonia , then you can burn it as a fuel for your engine ,” Byrnes told the Journal of Commerce . “ I don ’ t see a lot of bulk carriers turning to ammonia engines without carrying the ammonia itself .”
Byrnes said the practice of using transported ammonia to fuel vessels could help inform MPV operators in determining which green fuels to choose for newbuilds .
“ When I see companies like Spliethoff saying they ’ re going to include ammonia in their future order book , they see that as a technology ” for leveraging an efficient , cost-effective fuel , he said .
Although transporting energy in the form of ammonia offers alternative fuel advantages , it would require additional safety protocols , Byrnes said .
“ The safety issues around ammonia as a volatile , toxic material are a big concern ,” he said . “ But the export facilities are developing in the Houston area .”
Along with exploring ammonia , Port Houston is making advances to position itself to support other alternative fuel types , including LNG and methanol .
In April 2023 , the Gulf Coast ’ s first barge-to-ship methanol bunkering took place at Port Houston , where tanker barge provider Kirby Corporation fueled two clean-petroleum tanker ships .
Byrnes said that although it ’ s not the port ’ s core business to be a fuel bunkering supplier , the port acts as a liaison to facilitate conversations between fuel bunkering companies , fuel producers and vessel operators ; but for companies to invest , the demand from built vessels needs to come first .
“ For over 10 years , we ’ ve talked to different bunkering entrepreneurs who want to get into the business ,” said Byrnes . “ And they ’ ve all had great business plans , but it required a critical volume of ships that are going to need [ the fuel ] before they invest in these special barges .”
email : autumn @ autumngiusti . com
Shore power allows vessels to turn off their engines and plug into the grid while docked . Port of Long Beach
8 Journal of Commerce | March 2025 www . joc . com