CMA CGM Group, Copersucar, AGEO Terminais, Santos Brasil and Bunker One completed the first bioethanol bunkering operation for a deep-sea containership in Brazil, supplying the CMA CGM IRON, the first 13,000 TEU tri-fuel certified containership, at the Port of Santos. Engine manufacturer Everllence was also involved in enabling the operation.
Why "Tri-Fuel Certified" Is the Detail That Matters
CMA CGM IRON's engine is certified to run on conventional fuel, methanol, and by extension bioethanol, since bioethanol is chemically compatible with methanol-capable marine engines. That certification is what made this specific bunkering possible without new engine technology: the vessel didn't need retrofitting to accept bioethanol, only a supply chain willing and able to deliver it. Bunker One's CEO Flavio Ribeiro noted that around 70 vessels in the global fleet are currently capable of running on methanol, and by extension bioethanol, with roughly 400 more non-fossil-fuel-ready vessels expected from shipyards over the coming years, framing this operation as arriving just ahead of a wave of vessels that will be able to use the same fuel pathway.
Why Brazil, Specifically
Brazil is one of the world's largest sugarcane ethanol producers, and Copersucar, the company supplying the fuel, describes itself as the world's leading sugar and bioethanol trading company, operating an already-established, certified supply chain rather than building bioethanol production or logistics from scratch for this operation. That existing domestic feedstock and trading infrastructure is what let Brazil become, in the companies' own framing, one of a small number of countries currently capable of performing this specific type of bunkering operation.
A Different Feedstock Logic From Most of This Series' Ethanol Coverage
Most ethanol-to-jet or ethanol-based fuel stories in this series, including the Sinopec-Uzbekistan project and Beijing Shougang LanzaTech, have centered on ethanol produced from waste gas, agricultural residues, or industrial by-products. Brazilian bioethanol supplied here comes from sugarcane, a conventional, large-scale agricultural feedstock with decades of established production and trading infrastructure behind it, rather than a novel conversion technology still being scaled. That distinction matters for how quickly a fuel pathway can move from demonstration to repeatable commercial operation: infrastructure and supply chain maturity, not feedstock novelty, is what made this specific bunkering achievable now.
What This Bunkering Does, and Does Not, Establish
A single bunkering operation for one vessel demonstrates that the logistics chain, from Copersucar's supply through AGEO's terminal storage to delivery at Santos, functions in practice. It does not establish regular, repeated bioethanol bunkering at the port, disclosed volumes or pricing, or commitments from CMA CGM to expand bioethanol use across its wider fleet beyond this single vessel and operation.
Source: CMA CGM Group, 15 July 2026.
