Spanish energy company Repsol and shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) completed the first bioethanol bunkering operation in the Port of Barcelona, according to the port authority on Wednesday (15 July). Repsol successfully supplied 2,800 metric tonnes (mt) of bioethanol to a Maersk container vessel, Antonia Maersk , in the first bunkering operation of its kind in the Port of Barcelona and one of the first in the Mediterranean. The operation demonstrates growing demand for alcohol-based marine fuels, as well as the readiness of the infrastructure, logistics, and operational capabilities required to support their deployment at commercial scale. Juan Abascal, Repsol’s Executive Managing Director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy , said: “With this supply, we reaffirm our commitment to the decarbonization of maritime transport through solutions that are available today and ready to scale in the future. “At Repsol, we provide shipping companies with a reliable supply chain and a multi-energy strategy that combines different renewable fuels to support the sector in a safe, competitive, and sustainable transition.” The supply took place in the Port of Barcelona under fully commercial conditions, bringing together key players across the maritime value chain and demonstrating how collaboration can accelerate the adoption of lower-emission solutions in shipping. The delivery was carried out by Bahía Candela , Repsol’s newest bunker vessel, operated by Mureloil and designed to supply both conventional marine fuels and next-generation energy products. During the bunkering operation, Bahía Candel a operated using its battery system, enabling the fuel transfer to be completed with zero local emissions, and further reducing the environmental footprint of the operation. Prior to the bunkering, Maersk tested ethanol on one of its smaller vessels, the 1,800 TEU feeder vessel Laura Maersk , which in 2023 became the world’s first dual-fu