More ship operators proceed to be persuaded by the case for methanol as a marine gasoline and whereas orders for methanol-fueled containerships have been getting a number of consideration, methanol is now making inroads within the bulker phase. Evidence of the pattern is an order positioned with long-time MAN Energy Solutions licensee, Mitsui E&S Machinery. It is to produce the person MAN B&W 6G50ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) engine for a 65,700 dwt bulk service slated for building at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The vessel is the most recent methanol-fueled bulker ordered in latest weeks. The order comes after chartering giant Cargill teamed up with Mitsui & Co to order the world’s first methanol dual-fueled bulk carriers at Tsuneishi.
Bjarne Foldager, senior vp and head of low-speed, MAN Energy Solutions, stated: “In a market that has seen a rapidly increasing demand for decarbonized transport from its major players, the interest in methanol as a fuel has surged and – at this moment in time – represents more than 30% of all our current, open-pipeline projects across a broad range of vessel segments. As such, seeing bulk carriers now also entering this fuel segment is completely in line with our expectations and these newbuildings will benefit greatly from the option to operate either on methanol or conventional fuel with equally high fuel efficiency.”
Sachio Okumura, consultant director and president & govt officer at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, stated: “For Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, which is striving to build methanol-fueled ships with the aim of becoming a front-runner in next-generation-fueled ships, securing a high-value-added engine through this contract is an extremely important step. We will continue to focus on technological innovation together with engine manufacturers in order to provide our customers with zero-emission ships that are both environmentally friendly and economical.”
NEXT-GENERATION FUELS
“Customers are increasingly interested in next-generation fuels, and methanol is one of the promising fuels,” stated Ichiro Tanaka, president and consultant director at Mitsui E&S Machinery. “We have a track record of manufacturing dual-fuel engines such as LNG-fired engines, and in 2015 delivered the world’s first methanol engine as the main engine for a methanol carrier. Taking advantage of this adoption for bulk carriers, we will continue to meet the various needs of our customers, provide engines that are environmentally friendly and economical, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.”
As a gasoline, methanol could be carbon-neutral when produced from renewable power sources and biogenic CO2. The manufacturing capability of this inexperienced methanol is at the moment growing considerably. Methanol can also be liquid at ambient circumstances, which simplifies tank design and minimizes prices. MAN Energy Solutions stories that its methanol engine requires a fuel-supply stress of simply 13 bar and that quite a lot of producers already provide these fuel-supply techniques as we speak.
