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CMA CGM sets new world record for biomethanol bunkering at Shanghai Port
A major milestone for the maritime energy transition is taking place, as CMA CGM scales up the use of lower-carbon fuels for long-distance shipping
The CMA CGM OSMIUM has completed the world's largest single-batch biomethanol bunkering operation, receiving 8,016 tonnes of biomethanol at Shanghai Port in a single operation. The fuel is sufficient to cover the vessel's entire voyage from Shanghai to the East Coast of South America, with an estimated emissions reduction equivalent to 10,000 tonnes of CO₂.
The operation was carried out in partnership with Shanghai Electric Group and Shanghai International Port (Group), bringing together fuel production, logistics, port infrastructure and international shipping in a single supply chain.
From record to scale
The latest operation marks a significant acceleration compared with CMA CGM's previous biomethanol bunkering milestone.
In March 2026, the CMA CGM OSMIUM received 3,643 tonnes of biomethanol at Shanghai's Yangshan Port, setting a Chinese record at the time. Just five months later, the same vessel has more than doubled the volume supplied in a single bunkering operation, establishing a new global benchmark.
The progression illustrates an important shift in the maritime industry's approach to alternative fuels: from testing and demonstrating new technologies towards deploying them at a scale compatible with international commercial shipping.
Building a lower-carbon maritime supply chain
The significance of the operation goes beyond the quantity of fuel delivered.
The biomethanol supplied to the CMA CGM OSMIUM is produced at Shanghai Electric's Taonan project in Jilin Province. The fuel is then transported to Dalian before being shipped to Shanghai for storage and final bunkering. This creates an integrated supply chain linking biomethanol production in Northeast China with one of the world's major international shipping hubs.
For ports, this development highlights a changing role in the energy transition. As shipping companies introduce vessels capable of operating on alternative fuels, major maritime hubs increasingly need to provide the infrastructure and supply networks required to support them.
Shanghai's latest operation demonstrates how fuel producers, logistics providers, port operators and shipping companies can work together to make large-scale alternative-fuel bunkering possible.
What it means for the future of shipping
Biomethanol is emerging as one of several alternative fuels being explored by the maritime sector to reduce emissions from deep-sea shipping.
The CMA CGM OSMIUM is a 13,000-TEU dual-fuel containership operating on the company's SEAS 2 service between Asia and the East Coast of South America. Supplying enough biomethanol for an entire intercontinental voyage demonstrates the potential for alternative fuels to move beyond pilot-scale applications and into regular commercial operations.
The milestone also highlights the importance of collaboration across the maritime value chain. Scaling up lower-carbon shipping will require not only new vessel technologies, but also investment in fuel production, transportation, storage, bunkering infrastructure and international supply chains.
For Shanghai, the operation further strengthens the port's position in the development of alternative marine fuels. For CMA CGM, it represents another step in its broader decarbonisation strategy.
As the maritime industry continues to search for practical pathways towards lower-carbon operations, the latest CMA CGM OSMIUM bunkering operation offers a clear example of what becomes possible when alternative-fuel technology is matched with the infrastructure and partnerships needed to deploy it at scale.
SOURCE: CMA CGM
