A Cosco container ship has carried out the first ship-to-ship (STS) methanol bunkering on the Yangtze River in China.

The Cosco Shipping Libra received about 2,000 mt of methanol from the bunker vessel Haigang Zhiyuan at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry’s Changxing Island terminal, according to the Chongming District People’s Government on Tuesday.

The operation, which normally takes up to 70 hours, was completed in just five.

“The Shanghai section of the Yangtze River has dense and heavy ship traffic, and bunkering vessels, as dangerous goods vessels, pose a high navigation safety risk,” Wang Yanhai, deputy captain of the Changxing Coast Guard Law Enforcement Brigade of the Chongming Maritime Safety Administration, said.

“We accurately monitor the bunkering vessel’s movements throughout the entire process to ensure surrounding vessels maintain a safe distance.”