Methanol-ready ONE Sparkle marks Latin America debut with inaugural port call

ONE Sparkle, a 13,800 TEU container ship designed to use methanol, has made its first visit to Latin America with a stop at Terminal Portuario de Guayaquil (TPG) in Ecuador. The vessel, owned by Ocean Network Express (ONE) of Singapore, handled around 5,000 container moves during the call in Guayaquil, including almost one thousand refrigerated export containers. ONE Sparkle is considered a modern and eco-friendly ship that is part of the AX3 service, connecting key ports in the Pacific Ocean. It is equipped to operate with methanol and ammonia and connect to shore power emission-reducing systems. The ship is part of a series of 20 large vessels that are being built in South Korea and Japan, with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2026. ONE is also preparing to receive a dozen 13,000 TEU container vessels powered by methanol from 2027, which will be the company’s first fleet of such environmentally friendly newbuilds. These vessels are currently being constructed at shipyards in China.