Tangier Maersk Completes First US 100% Bioethanol Bunkering at Port of Mobile

Maersk completed the first 100% bioethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container ship in the United States on September 28, using corn ethanol produced domestically.

The ship was Tangier Maersk, the lead of a new series of six 9,000 TEU container ships. Bunkering took place at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, with Kirby Corporation handling the fuel logistics. The US Coast Guard provided regulatory support.

The bioethanol was supplied by POET, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota producer that operates 35 facilities and turns out more than three billion gallons of corn-based bioethanol a year. Corn ethanol qualifies under the International Maritime Organization's Carbon Intensity Indicator rules as an alternative marine fuel.

Maersk called the operation the first 100% bioethanol marine bunkering in the United States. The American Journal of Transportation described it as the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container ship in the country.

Maersk has a broader fleet expansion underway. The company confirmed an order for 26 containerships at 18,600 TEU each in September 2026, those ships to be fitted with dual-fuel LNG engines for delivery in 2029-2030.