Singapore gets its first methanol bunkering vessel

Singapore, a global maritime bunkering hub, has welcomed the delivery of its first methanol bunkering vessel, marking another stride in its commitment to serve as a living lab for bunkering alternative fuels. This aligns with the broader maritime industry’s efforts toward decarbonization.

Namely, Stellar Shipmanagement Services Pte, a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Energy Group, has taken delivery of the 4,000 dwt IMO Type 2 chemical and oil tanker, MT Maple.

The vessel, classed by Bureau Veritas, was built by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co., Hiroshima, Japan, as announced back in October 2022.

MT Maple is equipped with twin-screw propulsion, flow boom and a mass flow metering system, and is compliant with MPA’s current licensing requirements for oil product bunker tankers.

The ship’s cargo tanks are specifically coated with inorganic zinc silicates for the carriage of methanol.

A dedicated team from Stellar, which is in charge of providing full technical management, and crewing services for the fleet of 20 tankers owned by the Global Energy Group, supervised the construction of the bunkering tanker.

“We believe IMO Type 2 tankers will be the next generation of bunkering tankers to serve the industry, offering the flexibility to handle a wider range of marine fuels, in particular biofuels and methanol. With this addition, we will be able to trade and supply two low carbon transitional marine fuels which will support the shipping industry with a pivotal step on its decarbonization journey,” Loh Hong Leong, Managing Director of Global Energy Group, said.

“The delivery of Singapore’s first dedicated methanol bunkering vessel is an important step to support the adoption of alternative low-carbon fuels by shipping. By enabling the delivery of methanol to vessels calling at Singapore, the new vessel will contribute to developing the industry’s supply and bunkering capabilities, which are essential in order to scale up those fuels and ensure their availability,” David Barrow, Marine & Offshore, Vice-President South Asia and Pacific, Bureau Veritas, said.

Methanol is gaining growing popularity among industry majors as an alternative fuel, with orders being placed from various sectors, led predominantly by container shipping companies.

The new bunkering tanker is scheduled to join the GET fleet by the end of 2023.

With the first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker built, GET, Stellar Shipmanagement, and Bureau Veritas are now part of a working group spearheaded by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to introduce a new bunkering procedure for the safe handling and delivery of methanol as a marine fuel to ships refueling in the port of Singapore.

Global Energy Trading Pte Ltd (GET) is the trading arm of Global Energy Group, a Singapore MPA-licensed and UAE-licensed bunker supplier. The company offers a full range of marine fuels which will soon include biofuel (beyond Bio25) and methanol from 2024.

The group’s second vessel, MT Kara, was launched on November 29, 2023 by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, and is scheduled for delivery in March 2024.