On August 16, under the full-process safety assurance of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, the Luhuashan South Anchorage of Shanghai Port successfully completed China's first simultaneous LNG and green methanol bunkering operation involving two vessels.

At the operation site, SIPG Energy's methanol bunkering vessel Haigang Zhiyuan supplied 8,016 tonnes of domestically produced biomethanol to CMA CGM's methanol dual-fuel container ship CMA CGM OSMIUM, setting a new global record for single methanol bunkering volume. During the same period, SIPG Energy's LNG bunkering vessel Haigang Weilai supplied 5,038 cubic meters of LNG to PIL's KOTA ELAN.

The anchorage waters feature complex navigation conditions, with frequent movements of fishing boats and small vessels and highly dynamic maritime traffic, posing extremely high demands on on-site operation coordination, navigation safety vigilance, and emergency response. The simultaneous bunkering of two types of clean fuels further increased the difficulty of safety control. The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration balanced development and safety, aiming to facilitate the smooth implementation of this new bunkering model, strengthened full-process and full-chain safety supervision, and effectively ensured the successful completion of this dual-vessel simultaneous bunkering operation at the anchorage.

As Shanghai Port continues to advance its green shipping transformation, the market inventory of LNG and methanol dual-fuel vessels continues to grow, significantly increasing market demand for simultaneous dual-vessel bunkering at the Luhuashan South Anchorage. Compared with traditional single-fuel bunkering, simultaneous cross-category bunkering of LNG and green methanol represents an entirely new high-risk maritime operation with extremely challenging safety control requirements. LNG is prone to vaporization at low temperatures, with risks of leakage and combustion during operations; methanol is highly volatile and toxic, with invisible and difficult-to-identify combustion flames. The distinctly different characteristics of these two high-risk fuels, combined with their overlapping risks, further intensify the pressure on on-site safety control. Currently, there are no mature and unified specialized safety supervision standards in the industry, creating a prominent regulatory bottleneck that constrains the normalized and safe operation of this new green fuel bunkering business.

To effectively address these industry pain points and regulatory gaps, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration launched a special research project this year on simultaneous dual-vessel bunkering at the Luhuashan South Anchorage, adhering to the principles of standards first and contingency plans in advance. Focusing on the complex operational conditions of the anchorage's open waters—characterized by variable wind and waves, dense vessel traffic, limited operation space, significant differences in the physicochemical properties of the two fuels, and prominent cross-operation risks—the Administration systematically examined core protocols for navigation order control, on-site vessel inspection, operational risk identification, zoned isolation control, and emergency response. Through field investigations, risk simulations, and expert reviews, it refined and improved regulatory procedures and control details, compiling a targeted and implementable specialized supervision guideline. This work effectively filled the regulatory void for simultaneous LNG and methanol dual-vessel bunkering operations within Shanghai Port's jurisdiction, establishing a standardized, normalized, and systematic operational supervision framework. It not only solidified the institutional foundation and safety baseline for normalized dual-vessel dual-fuel simultaneous bunkering at the Luhuashan South Anchorage, but also provided solid and robust maritime regulatory support for the high-quality development of green shipping at Shanghai Port and the construction of an international green fuel bunkering center.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration rigorously implemented various safety assurance measures, proactively coordinating with bunkering enterprises, the Shanghai Pilot Station, and other relevant units to refine and improve the overall operation plan. It conducted comprehensive surveys of vessel anchoring dynamics at the Luhuashan South Anchorage, scientifically coordinated the berthing and unberthing schedules of lightering platforms, optimized the navigation routes of bunkering vessels, and customized specialized safety assurance measures. During operations, it continuously conducted dynamic risk assessments, implemented real-time dispatch and control, coordinated regulatory resources, and comprehensively identified and rectified safety risks and hazards, building a solid safety barrier for China's first simultaneous LNG and green methanol dual-vessel bunkering operation at an anchorage.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration fully leveraged the advantages of smart maritime technology, relying on diversified digital supervision tools such as the Smart Maritime Platform, Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system, and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV). Focusing on the complex scenario of simultaneous operations at two bunkering points, it innovatively established a "3A" dynamic monitoring list for key vessels. For the two exclusive safety zones designated for bunkering operations, it conducted round-the-clock electronic patrols, precisely monitored the dynamics of the operation waters, and implemented staggered control and point-to-point precise warnings for key nodes such as bunkering vessels entering and exiting the anchorage and route intersections, effectively avoiding safety risks such as vessel collisions and operational interference. At the same time, it coordinated with meteorological departments to conduct real-time assessments of meteorological safety thresholds including wind speed, wave height, and visibility, dynamically controlling safe operation windows to achieve early detection, early warning, and early response to operational risks.

On-site law enforcement personnel relied on a three-dimensional supervision system integrating electronic patrols, aerial inspections, and on-site checks to implement full-process, full-coverage safety control over bunkering operations, ensuring standardized and orderly operations. Through drone aerial inspections, they monitored in real time the mooring line stress conditions of both sets of operating vessels, the connection status of bunkering pipelines, and the operational dynamics of on-site personnel. Simultaneously, enforcement officers conducted onboard inspections, verifying the implementation of vessel safety protection measures item by item, with particular emphasis on reviewing emergency response plans for compound incidents such as fuel leaks, vessel dragging anchor, mooring line breakage, and vessel loss of control, thereby ensuring that safety responsibilities were firmly established at every level.

This "dual-vessel dual-fuel" simultaneous bunkering operation represents a significant breakthrough in Shanghai Port's ongoing efforts to diversify its shipping fuel supply system and enhance the scale and service capacity of anchorage bunkering. It is also a vivid demonstration of Shanghai Maritime's empowerment of the port's green transformation and the accelerated construction of Shanghai as an international green fuel bunkering center, as well as a compelling example of technology-enabled maritime safety governance.

Moving forward, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration will continue to thoroughly implement the deployment requirements of the Implementation Plan for Supporting the Construction of Shanghai International Green Fuel Bunkering and Trading Center issued by the Ministry of Transport and nine other ministries. It will continuously improve the supervision system for new energy marine fuel bunkering, optimize maritime supervision service models, and steadily enhance the comprehensive service capacity of Shanghai Port for green fuels, contributing more replicable and scalable "Shanghai Solutions" to the high-quality green and low-carbon development of global shipping.