On July 2, China’s first methanol dual-fuel-powered container ship, the COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU, made its maiden voyage to Yangpu Port in Hainan Province and completed its first refueling with domestically produced green methanol at Yangpu International Container Terminal.
This inaugural call at Yangpu Port and the first green methanol refueling further expand the port’s route network, accelerate the construction of a “dual-directional, dual-hub port,” and mark a new chapter for COSCO SHIPPING Group in the coordinated development of domestic dual-fuel vessels and green energy. It injects strong momentum into the low-carbon transformation of China’s shipping industry.
Hainan Vice Governor Zou Guang and COSCO SHIPPING Group Deputy General Manager Zhang Yong witnessed the ship’s maiden voyage and first refueling. During the event, Zou Guang and Zhang Yong unveiled the new logo for the new energy products released by Sinopec CSSC Marine Fuel Supply.
The COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU, built by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou), is China’s first methanol dual-fuel container ship. Delivered on June 20, it is currently deployed on COSCO SHIPPING Lines’ Yangpu-America route. With a total length of 366 meters, a beam of 51 meters, and a maximum capacity of 16,136 TEUs, the vessel achieves three historic milestones: the first order from a domestic shipowner, the first delivery by a domestic shipyard, and the first real-world application of a domestically produced methanol-fueled main engine.
This marks the ship’s first call at Yangpu Port, where it was refueled with green methanol by Sinopec CSSC Marine Fuel Supply. This also represents China’s first full-industry-chain application of green methanol derived from urban waste, covering production, sales, and usage. The methanol is produced from biogas generated by fermenting urban food waste and animal manure, enabling resource recycling and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is a genuinely green fuel across its entire lifecycle, forming a closed-loop industrial chain from biomass feedstock collection, production, storage, and transportation to terminal refueling—all within Hainan Island. This initiative validates the feasibility of China’s integrated “production-supply-storage-refueling” model for green methanol and embodies the core concept of “harmonious coexistence between shipping and sustainability.”
The COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU’s maiden voyage and first green methanol refueling highlight Hainan Free Trade Port’s strategic importance in logistics and green shipping. It reflects COSCO SHIPPING Group’s efforts to accelerate the aggregation of shipping resources at Yangpu Port, build an international shipping hub, and actively support the development of Hainan Free Trade Port and the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. This sets a new benchmark for high-quality development in China’s shipping industry. Additionally, it demonstrates the viability of “Chinese ships + Chinese green fuel,” showcasing COSCO SHIPPING Group’s end-to-end capabilities—from ship design and construction to green fuel supply—and offering a “Chinese solution” for the global shipping industry’s green and low-carbon transition.
On the same day, Hainan Port and Shipping Holdings and COSCO Shipping (Tianjin) signed the “Cooperation Agreement on Building Yangpu Green Hub Port in Hainan.”
Officials from Hainan’s Development and Reform Commission, Industry and Information Technology Department, Commerce Department, Transport Department, Haikou Customs, Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, Haikou Border Inspection, and the Danzhou Municipal Government, as well as representatives from COSCO SHIPPING Group and related units, attended the event.
Yangpu International Container Terminal is a port under COSCO SHIPPING Group that was personally inspected by President Xi Jinping, who issued important directives. The group is advancing port capacity upgrades in line with Yangpu’s “dual-directional, dual-hub port” strategy. In April 2025, the first phase of the Yangpu Regional International Container Hub Port Expansion Project was completed, adding one 150,000-ton and one 200,000-ton berth. The terminal’s annual design throughput capacity has increased to 3.6 million TEUs, with the ability to accommodate vessels up to 200,000 tons, significantly enhancing service capabilities and supporting the accelerated development of an international shipping hub.
Aligned with the goal of establishing Yangpu as a new pivot for a dual-directional, dual-hub system, COSCO SHIPPING Lines, under COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, integrates “shipping + port + logistics” to create end-to-end maritime-rail-land solutions tailored to customer needs, improving competitiveness in the global supply chain.
COSCO SHIPPING Group is fully committed to building Yangpu into a container hub port, positioning it as a “dual center” alongside Abu Dhabi and as a “dual-directional, dual-hub port” for north-south and east-west routes. To date, the group has launched 14 international routes—10 connecting ASEAN and South Asian countries (Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh), one to Australia, two to the U.S., and one to the Persian Gulf—along with eight domestic routes linking coastal ports such as Qinzhou, Zhanjiang, Nansha, Nantong, Quanzhou, Ningbo, Tianjin, and Yingkou.
As a key player in COSCO SHIPPING Lines’ efforts to stabilize global supply chains, the COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU provides critical support for businesses reliant on stable, large-scale maritime imports and exports.
As the largest container ship to call at Yangpu Port to date, COSCO SHIPPING Lines Yangpu Company meticulously planned every aspect of the maiden voyage—from pilotage and berthing to cargo handling—and prepared contingency measures. Close coordination with customs, border inspection, and maritime authorities ensured all formalities were completed before docking, enabling immediate operations upon arrival.
This maiden voyage underscores COSCO SHIPPING Lines’ commitment to transforming Yangpu Port into a dual-circulation container hub and fully supporting Hainan Free Trade Port’s industrial development.
