# Santos Brasil Terminal Begins Regular Bioethanol Bunkering for CMA CGM Ships > Santos Brasil's Tecon Santos hosted the first regular bioethanol bunkering on October 19, supplying CMA CGM IRON. - Published: 2026-10-30T14:23:23+00:00 - Section: Partnerships - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-30/santos-brasil-bioethanol-bunkering-santos - Source: [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regular-bioethanol-bunkering-begins-at-the-port-of-santos-302924997.html) ## Key takeaways - The first regular bioethanol bunkering at the Port of Santos took place on October 19, supplying the 13,000-TEU CMA CGM IRON. - Copersucar, CMA CGM, Bunker One and the Santos Port Authority are running the operations, with more CMA CGM vessel bunkerings planned by year-end. - Santos Brasil's Tecon Santos terminal hosted the bunkering, where Bunker One developed a protocol for the fuel's low flash point. - Copersucar estimates replacing 10% of marine fuel demand could open about 50 billion liters a year of bioethanol demand. Copersucar, CMA CGM, Bunker One and the Santos Port Authority began regular bioethanol bunkering for vessels at the Port of Santos, with the first operation on October 19 supplying the 13,000-TEU container ship CMA CGM IRON. [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regular-bioethanol-bunkering-begins-at-the-port-of-santos-302924997.html) said the operation follows a pioneering bunkering carried out in July. ## How the Santos Bunkering Operation Works The CMA CGM IRON carries the Everllence-B&W G95ME-C10.5-LGIM, described as the world's first tri-fuel engine certified to run on bioethanol. Bioethanol from mills associated with [Copersucar](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/002jfog/copersucar) is supplied and moved to the Port of Santos by Evolua Etanol, stored by AGEO Terminais and bunkered at the [Santos Brasil](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0007qw6/santos-brasil) terminal, where [Bunker One](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000a7es/bunker-one) developed a protocol for Latin America after months of studies and team training that accounted for the fuel's low flash point. Giovani Grassi, CEO of CMA CGM Brazil, said: "Following the first operation carried out in July, we are now moving into a new phase, demonstrating that bioethanol can be incorporated into maritime operations safely, reliably and on a commercial scale." Tomás Manzano, president of Copersucar, said the initiative "establishes the world's first green corridor for marine bioethanol bunkering and opens up a new global end market for the fuel." Antônio Carlos Sepúlveda, CEO of Santos Brasil, said hosting the operation at Tecon Santos reinforces the company's commitment to sustainable logistics. "We have been working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and those of our customers," he said. Flavio Ribeiro, CEO of Bunker One LatAm, said Brazil's production capacity is being combined with Bunker One's expertise and global reach. Copersucar said global demand for marine fuels exceeds 270 billion liters per year, and that replacing 10% of that consumption could represent an additional market of approximately 50 billion liters of bioethanol per year. According to Det Norske Veritas, 159 vessels already operate with methanol-ready engines that can also use bioethanol, and more than 450 new vessels with the technology are expected by 2030. ## Santos Brasil's Terminal and Expansion Record Santos Brasil runs Tecon Santos, which it describes as the largest container terminal in Latin America, along with the largest vehicle terminal in Brazil, three liquid bulk terminals and integrated distribution centers, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records put total investment in capacity expansion, acquisitions, modernization, technology, training and management since inception at R$9 billion, and list more than 9,400 customers across shipping lines, importers, exporters, freight forwarders and customs agents. ## Santos Brasil's Decarbonization Push Before the Bunkering In September 2026, pegn reported that Santos Brasil was leading decarbonization in transport and logistics, with more than R$9 billion invested in sustainability initiatives and a Tecon Santos modernization aimed at cutting emissions by 70% by 2050 through electric equipment and ethanol refueling. In July 2026, the company deployed the OPUS terminal operating system from CyberLogitec at Tecon Imbituba as part of a R$34 million-plus technology modernization, standardizing digital infrastructure across all three container terminals. ## More CMA CGM Bunkerings Planned This Year By the end of this year, additional multiple bunkering operations of CMA CGM vessels are planned with bioethanol supplied by Copersucar, according to PR Newswire. ## Companies in this story - [Santos Brasil company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0007qw6/santos-brasil) · website: https://www.santosbrasil.com.br - [Bunker One company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000a7es/bunker-one) · website: https://bunkerone.com - [Copersucar company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/002jfog/copersucar) · website: http://www.copersucar.com.br --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt