GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Cargill today announced the maiden voyage of Brave Pioneer, the first of five green methanol dual-fuel dry bulk vessels chartered by the company. The deployment of the Brave Pioneer marks another important milestone in Cargill’s broader decarbonization efforts – one focused on innovation, testing and learning as the company works with customers and partners to refine future-ready solutions for Cargill and the industry.
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Built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and owned by Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Brave Pioneer is equipped to operate on both conventional marine fuels and green methanol, a lower-carbon alternative. The estimated CO2 saving of using green methanol compared to conventional fuel is up to 70%.
The ship departs the Philippines today, will bunker green methanol in Singapore, then proceed to Western Australia before sailing onward to Europe. Through Brave Pioneer ’s maiden voyage, Cargill will conduct a series of operational trials designed evaluate methanol bunkering readiness, understand how environmental attributes can be traced and verified through carbon accounting systems, and assess market appetite for low-carbon freight services.
“Decarbonising global shipping requires a mix of technologies and the willingness to take bold steps before the entire ecosystem is ready,” said Jan Dieleman, President of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation business. “Technologies like green methanol or wind-assisted propulsion come with uncertainty. But as an industry leader, we have a responsibility to test these innovations on the water, share what we learn, and help shape the systems and standards that will enable wider adoption.”
Setting the Stage for a New Low-Carbon Fleet
The launch of Brave Pioneer paves the way for the four additional vessels that will join Cargill’s fleet over the coming years. The addition of these vessels strengthens Cargill’s multi-solution decarbonization approach, which includes wind-assisted propulsion, voyage optimization technologies, energy-efficiency retrofits and exploration of alternative fuels such as biofuels and ethanol.
Each represents another step in the company’s broader efforts to embed sustainability into global ocean supply chains and support customers looking for practical, lower-carbon freight options.
“We know the road to low carbon shipping will require a mix of solutions and green methanol is one part of that portfolio,” Dieleman continued. “Our new fleet is about optionality and adaptability. These vessels are engineered to perform at a best-in-class level on conventional fuel today, while allowing us to switch to greener fuels as availability improves. It’s a practical way to future-proof ocean transport.”
As one of the world’s largest charterers of dry bulk freight, Cargill’s actions send a strong demand signal to the market and serve as an open invitation for others in the maritime sector to join in advancing the transition to sustainable shipping.
The initiative supports Cargill’s broader effort to reduce supply chain emissions and invest and test practical innovations that advance progress toward a more sustainable global food system. Green methanol-enabled vessels—paired with the eventual expansion of renewable fuel supply—are expected to play a meaningful role in reducing maritime emissions over the coming decade.
About Cargill
Cargill is committed to providing food, ingredients, agricultural solutions, and industrial products to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. Sitting at the heart of the supply chain, we partner with farmers and customers to source, make and deliver products that are vital for living.
Our 160,000 team members innovate with purpose, providing customers with life’s essentials so businesses can grow, communities prosper, and consumers live well. With 159 years of experience as a family company, we look ahead while remaining true to our values. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing—today and for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
Through Brave Pioneer’s maiden voyage, Cargill will conduct a series of operational trials designed evaluate methanol bunkering readiness, understand how environmental attributes can be traced and verified through carbon accounting systems, and assess market appetite for low-carbon freight services.
The ship departs the Philippines today, will bunker green methanol in Singapore, then proceed to Western Australia before sailing onward to Europe.
Built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and owned by Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Brave Pioneer is equipped to operate on both conventional marine fuels and green methanol, a lower-carbon alternative.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-Muslim rhetoric from some Republicans in Congress intensified this week against the backdrop of the Iran war, with multiple lawmakers — including one who said “Muslims don’t belong in American society” — drawing condemnation from Democrats for their remarks but little pushback from GOP leaders.
The derogatory language has been percolating among Republican officials for months, often prominent when criticizing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim. But against the backdrop of the Iran war, a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population, and attacks at a synagogue in Michigan and a college in Virginia, the tone sharpened this week.
“The enemy is inside our gates,” Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville wrote Thursday in response to a photo of Mamdani sitting on the ground during an iftar dinner at New York City Hall. The photo was juxtaposed with a picture of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Hours later, Tuberville doubled down: “To be clear, I didn’t ‘suggest’ Islamists are the enemy. I said it plainly.”
The rhetoric intensified Friday as GOP lawmakers responded to the attacks in Michigan and Virginia by urging a halt to all immigration into the United States. Some singled out Muslims specifically.
For many Muslims, it's a political moment that carries echoes from the early 2000s, when the 9/11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars generated hostility toward Muslim communities in the United States, often accompanied by discrimination and racist violence.
“When members of Congress speak, it’s not just words,” said Iman Awad, the national director for policy and advocacy for the Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action. “It shapes public perception. It legitimizes prejudice.”
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles in his social media post stated flatly that Muslims don't belong in the United States. He stood behind it after criticism mounted, later writing that “paperwork doesn’t magically make you American” and that “Muslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back.”
Asked about Ogles’ post on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had spoken to members “about our tone and our message and what we say.” He said Ogles used “different language than I would use,” but added that he believes the issue raised by the comments is “serious.”
“There’s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem," Johnson said. "That’s what animates this.”
Sharia is a religious framework that guides many Muslims’ moral and spiritual conduct. References to “Sharia law” have often been invoked by officials to suggest Muslims are attempting to impose religious practices on communities in the United States.
Many Republicans point to a Muslim-centered planned community near Dallas as proof of “Sharia law” — though the developers have denied the allegations and said they are being targeted because they are Muslim.
With Johnson not condemning Ogles’ remarks — or to recent comments from Florida Rep. Randy Fine that “the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one” — the anti-Muslim rhetoric grew louder. After the photo circulated of Mamdani at the iftar dinner, several Republicans responded with critical posts.
Democrats broadly condemned the GOP messages. Chuck Schumer, the leader of Senate Democrats, called Tuberville's post “mindless hate.”
“Islamophobic hate like this is fundamentally un-American and we must confront and overcome it whenever it rears its ugly head,” Schumer said.
Mamdani — in response to Tuberville's post that “the enemy is inside our gates" — said: "Let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers.”
Federal officials identified a man who rammed his vehicle into a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, this week as a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. Officials have said that the man had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week, just after sunset as they were having their fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
In Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University before ROTC students subdued and killed him. Court documents showed that he had previously served time for attempting to aid the Islamic State and was released less than two years ago.
Some Republican lawmakers claimed vindication for their views. Others pushed for legislation. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the House GOP’s whip, said “the security of our nation hinges on our ability to denaturalize and deport terrorists.”
West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore said he would introduce a bill to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who “commits an act of terrorism, plots to commit an act of terrorism, joins a terrorist organization or otherwise aids and abets terrorism against the American people.”
Similar rhetoric and policy pushes have surfaced before and drawn controversy. Last year, protesters connected to demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war were arrested and targeted by authorities, including former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist the government has sought to detain and deport.
Middle East conflicts bringing domestic tensions is nothing new. With the war in Gaza, both Muslim and Jewish communities have faced faith-based discrimination and attacks.
Mamdani said the posts invoking the 9/11 attacks are problematic not just because of the words, but because of "the actions that often accompany them.”
“I think too of the smaller indignities, the indignities that many New Yorkers face, but that Muslims are expected to face in silence,” Mamdani said. “Of the exhaustion of having to explain yourself to those who are not interested in understanding. Of the men who introduce themselves by their given name only to be called Muhammad for years on end.”
The stark silence from Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, reflects a broader change in the party. After the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, Republican President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., to explicitly warn against Muslim discrimination.
“America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country,” Bush said during the visit, adding: “They need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.”
“Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior,” Bush said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Rental Ripoff Hearing at Fordham University on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Police tape hangs outside the Temple Israel synagogue Friday, March 13, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
FILE - Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., arrives for a meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - The U.S. Capitol is seen at sunrise March 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
