On June 21, under the full monitoring and refined support of the Wusong Maritime Safety Administration, the methanol bunkering vessel “Hai Gang Zhi Yuan” successfully completed the bunkering of 3,000 tons of methanol to the vessel “Han Xin Qing Mao” at the South Lvhuashan Anchorage. This operation marked the first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering in Shanghai Port’s anchorage waters and set a record for the highest single methanol bunkering volume in Chinese anchorages.
It is understood that anchorage bunkering operations are characterized by open operational waters and complex dynamic vessel environments. The “Hai Gang Zhi Yuan” vessel conducted its first bunkering operation at the South Lvhuashan Anchorage, facing challenges such as initial route design and complex anchorage navigation conditions. To address this, the Wusong Maritime Safety Administration implemented a “one vessel, one policy” full-process control. The Vessel Traffic Service Center followed up on the bunkering operation plan and support scheme, sorted out vessels anchored at South Lvhuashan Anchorage in advance, confirmed the planned route with the operation unit and Shanghai Pilot Station, and assigned the Lvhuashan Maritime Patrol Law Enforcement Team stationed nearby to actively coordinate the berthing and unberthing plans of the lightering platform.
During the operation, the Wusong VTS Center established a “3A” monitoring list for key vessels, relying on the VTS system to conduct uninterrupted electronic patrols of the operation warning zone. Point-to-point tracking and precise reminders were implemented during critical phases such as berthing, unberthing, and crossing channels, providing solid safety assurance for the operation vessels. On the other side, the Lvhuashan Maritime Patrol Law Enforcement Team used drones and other means to strengthen supervision of the bunkering operation site and enhance on-site operation control. In response to objective meteorological conditions such as increasing wind and rain, the VTS Center maintained real-time coordination with the meteorological department, dynamically tracked meteorological and sea state information including wind speed and visibility, issued dynamic warnings, and precisely grasped the safe operation window.
“This ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation in the anchorage waters lasted approximately 9 hours, with the entire process being safe, standardized, and orderly, accumulating valuable regulatory experience for methanol bunkering operations in anchorage waters,” said a relevant official from the Wusong Maritime Safety Administration. In the next step, the Wusong Maritime Safety Administration will continue to optimize the methanol bunkering operation regulatory plan, improve safety standards for new energy fuel bunkering, support the green and low-carbon transformation of Shanghai International Shipping Center, and contribute more “Shanghai solutions” to the global shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.
