The 49,000 dwt sisters ‘Mari Couva’ and ‘Mari Kokako’ have each been fitted with an MAN B&W ME-LGIM 2-stroke dual-fuel engines that can run on both methanol and conventional marine fuels.
Both vessels join the existing seven methanol-fuelled vessels chartered by Waterfront Shipping. These vessels have undertaken more than 50,000 operating hours running on methanol in compliance with IMO 2020 emissions regulations.
The two new vessels – together with another two vessels that will be delivered to Waterfront Shipping by the year-end – are also able to meet IMO Tier III emissions standards without the need for exhaust gas after treatment.
“We are very excited by the performance of our first seven methanol-fuelled vessels that have proven the safety and reliability of the technology. With this second generation of vessels, we will benefit from innovative technological advances that will continue to optimise performance and efficiency,” said Paul Hexter, President, Waterfront Shipping. “On an energy-equivalent basis, methanol is cost competitive over energy price cycles and we see significant value creation opportunities from using a methanol flex-fuel engine. We are proud that approximately 40% of our fleet will be powered by methanol-fuel technology by the end of the year.”
“Our first two methanol-powered ships were delivered in 2016, and each now has more than 10,000 successful running hours on methanol with no issues that have resulted in off-hire or idle time,” claimed Patrik Mossberg, Chairman, Marinvest. “It is important that we share our experiences and make the industry aware that methanol is a well-proven, simple-to-adopt solution offering compliance with IMO 2020 regulations and provides a pathway to meeting IMO 2030 and 2050 CO2 emission targets.”
Methanol is one of the world’s most widely traded chemicals and is available globally at major ports, providing a cost-effective solution to meet the needs of shipowners today. Safe, biodegradable and clean-burning, methanol is a marine fuel that can meet the most stringent environmental regulations, Waterfront said.
In addition to IMO 2020-compliant SOx emissions and the ability to meet Tier III NOx regulations without exhaust after treatment, methanol can also provide a pathway to meeting future carbon emission reduction targets when it is produced from renewable sources.
René Sejer Laursen, Promotion Manager at MAN Energy Solutions, added: “We developed the ME-LGIM engine in response to interest from the shipping world in alternatives to heavy fuel oil. With the growing demand for cleaner marine fuels, methanol is a sulfur-free alternative that meets the industry’s increasingly stringent emission regulations.
“We are also very happy to collaborate once again with Methanex, whose vessels have showcased the benefits of operating on methanol and that meeting Tier III limits is possible through mixing methanol with water. Furthermore, a methanol-burning engine can enable the vessels to meet future greenhouse-gas emission standards as methanol can be produced in a carbon-neutral fashion from renewable sources. As such, the ME-LGI concept is mature technology and MAN Energy Solutions looks forward to exploring its many possibilities in the future,” he added.
The two new vessels, built by the a joint venture between Waterfront Shipping and Marinvest, were products of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. Waterfront Shipping will charter the two vessels to replace older units. A further two vessels, also powered by methanol, will be delivered to Waterfront Shipping before the end of this year.